Elements and Aerials
by melcon
Summary: A chance encounter in a bar, a naked stranger blushing as red as his hair, salamanders, and a Fire Master with some mean sword skills: Karou's life has taken a sudden, unexpected change!
1. A Rude Awakening

**Author's note: this has some strong language and lime but not terribly much. I don't own RK as much as I would like to admit ownership. This is purely for kicks and giggles and I do not intend to profit financially from this writings. A pity, the stuff I do write for selling is not nearly as good as the fanfiction stuff I create. Such is life.**

A deafening roar violently jerked Kaoru awake. Her well-trained reflexes acted instantaneously, sending her rolling across the expansive bed in a tangle of sheets, limbs thrashing and wide eyes darting about for the source of the noise. Hitting the floor, she scrabbled away from the bed, her kicking legs propelling her backwards until her back crashed against a wall. As Kaoru's eyes raced around frantically, she saw that the noise was coming from the other side of the room where a strange man was bellowing violently into a large, ornate mirror. "MAAASSTEEERRR!" the man roared angrily, shaking the mirror between two clenched hands.

Kaoru took in the scene in a heart-thumping millisecond, and three very startling questions crashed over her. One was _Why the hell am I naked? _as she realized that silken bedsheets were wrapped around her very nude body. The second one was _Why the hell is __he__ naked?_ when a glance at the stranger revealed that the man had no clothing on save for a thick mass of disheveled red hair that hung down to his waist. The third question, a confused grammatical jumble of _Holy cow, where AM I?_ and _What the hell's bells is going on?_, rolled around inside Kaoru's frantic mind as the mirror swirled and the shape of a man appeared in it.

"_Baka deshi,_ stop your bellowing," a sardonic voice filled the room. "The last thing I need this early in the morning is another one of your complaints."

The red-haired man gripped the mirror as if he wanted to pulverize it between his clenched hands. He growled and let loose a string of low-toned but colorful invective.

"I don't see what you're complaining about," the other man retorted. "She's obviously quite suitable for our purposes and from the looks of things, you two are..._ahem_, admirably compatible. So enough yelling. Get yourself dressed and come to the dojo. We have work to do." The mirror shimmered and the man disappeared, leaving behind only the reflection of the furious redhead.

Snakelike, the man whipped around and faced Kaoru. Kaoru made a strangling sound in her throat as a furious blush rose in her cheeks. Like her, the man was divested of his clothing but unlike her, he had nothing between his skin and the tense air swirling around them. Kaoru gulped. She had never seen a naked man in the flesh before and had hoped her first encounter with one would be in the context of love and romance, not one of of mass confusion, rank embarrassment, and potential danger. For as her embarrassed eyes quickly lifted upwards from his bare frame to his face, she saw gleaming orbs of pure amber staring at her violently. Tension and fight was evident in every muscle twitch, his body poised for conflict; Kaoru was surprised his thick hair was not raised up in challenge.

Kaoru automatically reached for her bokken, her fingers grasping nothing but silken cloth. Then her eyes fell upon a elegant katana resting on sword mounts above the big bed. _Saved! _she thought, but the man's eyes pinned her in her place. Despite her fighting skills, Kaoru suddenly was overwhelmed with the impression that if she and the man both went for the katana at the same time, she would hit the floor very dead.

As Kaoru's mind furiously tried to formulate a decisive course of action, the man's furious expression suddenly disappeared and a confused one took its place. "_Oro_?" he bleated out, looked down quickly, then frantically dived for a pair of pants on the floor. "_Suimasen_, Miss, please forgive me!" he gasped out, holding the clothing over his nether region as crimson poured over his cheeks. Despite the tension, embarrassment, and confusion of the moment, Kaoru noticed fleetingly that the man bore a strange cross-shaped scar on his cheek that his furious blush emphasized. "I am so sorry, Miss!" he blurted out, backing away from Kaoru while trying not to look directly at her.

Kaoru yanked the sheet higher up on her chest and hugged her arms into herself as the man scooted backwards, bowing at the waist, face almost as red as the messy hair swooping around him. "Please...I..._gomenasai_...I must go now, but please...um, er, make yourself at home...I'll explain later..."

"Wait!" Kaoru yelped. "What's going on? Why am I here? I..." The only answer was the rapid shuffle of feet and the slam of a door closing.

"Dammit!" Kaoru screamed for the lack of anything better to do. She thought briefly about running after the man and demanding an explanation, but her current state of _dishabille_ and her vivid memories of his previously violent expression kept her in place. Instead, she settled for taking out some aggression by pummeling the luxurious bed mattress with a frustrated fist.

* * *

_Crash_! The dojo doors burst outward, slamming against the walls with a deafening judder that nearly shattered them. Seijuro Hiko took another calm sip of tea and watched in mild interest as his obstinate pupil marched towards him with blood in his eye.

Holding up a hand to check the flow of abusive words and harsh questions sure to come his way, Hiko barked out, "Sit down."

Kenshin faced his master, planted his feet and let loose a string of words beginning with, "MASTERIHAVENEVER...!"

"Sit _down,_ I said," Hiko repeatedly firmly, snapping his fingers. Kenshin's legs collapsed neatly underneath him and he found a cup of steaming tea in front of his knees. Shaking with anger, he picked up the cup, smothering a deeply felt desire to jam it directly up his master's nostrils.

"As far as what I was thinking, you have no real need to know because as your master I have a perfect right to do whatever I think is necessary to my stupid pupil," Hiko responded smoothly, sarcasm edging his tones. "As I recall, you came back to me begging to complete your training and out of my great generosity and kindness, I have been doing so. However, we have begun to exhaust the limits of your ability. You will not reach complete mastery of Fire Magic on your own power. Thus, I have arranged, shall we say, a complementary force to assist your training."

"Complementary force?" Kenshin repeated, his hand so badly with rage that hot tea splashed over his hakama. "Master, there is a naked woman in my room and..."

"And that is a problem, why?" Hiko responded. "Most men would be absolutely thrilled with such an unexpected turn of events." He quirked a brow at his sputtering pupil and smiled thinly, "Although I must say you, ahem, _rose_ to the challenge with astonishing alacrity. Rather unexpected for a man blushing so deeply after simply being in the same room with an unclothed female."

Kenshin's brain was rapidly losing track of its far too tenuous grasp of reality. He had very little recall of last night's events. Hiko had set him loose for the evening to amuse himself and Kenshin had found his way to a quiet bar, intent on nothing more than a few drinks and maybe a round or two of darts. He had dim memory of a second glass of beer and a dazzling set of blue eyes that had smiled at him rather shyly, then everything went fuzzy.

Glaring at his master, Kenshin demanded, "What _happened_, Master?"

"Don't be ridiculous, boy, you ended up in bed naked with a naked woman, do you really need me to fill in the blanks?" Hiko responded.

Kenshin's face resembled a freshly-picked tomato, and his normally tenor voice squawked into a falsetto. "I...I mean...how...what...?"

Hiko smiled bemusedly, "Never underestimate the combined power of alcohol, hormones, and a little magical assistance, _baka_."

"But...I..._why_?" Kenshin squeaked.

"Simple," Hiko responded. "You needed to Soul Bond with her. She's an ideal match, really: complementary element, strong _chi_, sword skills, although admittedly nowhere near your abilities. However, a Soul Bond was the only way to unit all these strengths together for your benefit. Without it, she would not be that much useful to our purposes." Hiko took a sip of tea, then grunted, "Besides, I knew that left to your own devices, it would be _months_ before you made the Soul Bond. I merely...encouraged its culmination."

"Encouraged?" Kenshin repeated incredulously. "I don't remember a damned thing from last night! What the hell did you _do_, Master?"

Hiko waved his fingers dismissively, "A useful little spell, helped along by beer and the beating of youthful hearts. Come, don't tell me I haven't chosen well for you. She's a pretty little thing, isn't she not?"

Kenshin gritted his teeth as unwittingly a memory roared to the surface: a pale-skinned woman with a river of glossy black hair, eyes blue as a summer sky, and silken sheets wound around a graceful frame. He remember how her cheeks flushed in shame and embarrassment as she looked at him standing in front of her, the full Monty, and how tension and dismay was edged in every graceful line of her fine form. "Yes," he spat out grudgingly.

"Then why all the fuss, boy?" Hiko shrugged dismissively. "Things will right themselves out, no worries. In the meantime, your training is waiting."

Kenshin set the cup down with a thump, never more grateful to face his master with a drawn sword. He had no intention of holding anything at all back today. "Yes, Master," he said darkly, reaching for the katana rack.


	2. Escape Attempt Foiled!

"Ow, ow, ow, dammit, dammit, DAMMIT!" Kaoru screamed in pain and thwarted rage as she dropped the heavy mirror she had been attempting to use as a club and stared murderously at the large window that patently refused to shatter. It had been a trying morning, to say the least. A tense exploration had revealed that the large bedroom contained two doors: one which was locked and another which lead to a well-furbished sitting room and a luxurious bathroom. The sitting room also contained a locked door, and Kaoru was quick to realize that she was, from all outward appearances, a prisoner. However, the sitting room contained a rather convenient large bay window and a glance had told her that she was just two stories up, too high to jump but low enough to make escape via the ever-so-clichéd rope made of knotted bedsheets possible. The rope was now tied firmly to the leg of the heavy wooden table and Kaoru was hoping fervently that everything she had learned about tying knots was accurate, that the satin bedsheets wouldn't slip free of their knots and send her plummeting to the ground, and that she had enough rope to get her within safe jumping distance of the grass below. She was fairly certain about the last one but less so on the first two, but at this point all she wanted was to get out of this place and run away very, very fast.

However, her hastily plotted escape plan had been cobbled together on the assumption that the bay window would be fairly easy to breech. Kaoru had snatched the mirror off the bedroom wall to shatter her way to freedom, both in hopes that the mirror would break along with the window which would theoretically keep the two men from checking up on her and out of a desire to vicariously maul the crap out of the person who seemed to be responsible for the whole disastrous scenario. The mirror was large and heavy, and Kaoru was deeply looking forward to watching it sail through the window and smash to a thousand pieces below.

Both the mirror and the window, however, did not share her goals and Kaoru was completely astonished when both objects held firm. Since she swung at the window with all her strength and both mirror and window had refused to break, the results were like hitting a cement wall. Recoil bounded up her arms, rattling her teeth in their roots and making her fingers sting viciously. Kaoru dropped the mirror on the ground and indulged in a string of explicatives she kept tucked away for particularly difficult situations. Angrily, she kicked the mirror, then doubled over with a scream as excruciating pain shot up her leg. Bellowing blindly, Kaoru grabbed a strange-looking statuette from the table and went at the mirror with relish.

A few minutes later, fatigue kicked in and Kaoru was staring angrily at a perfectly whole, flawless mirror that had resisted all her efforts to pulverized it. Even the statuette in her hand showed no signs of damage. "FINE!" Kaoru screamed, "You win, okay?" Still fuming, she picked the mirror up and carted it off into the bedroom to hide it in the closet. Having done that and slammed the door shut, she flopped down on the floor, not sure if she wanted to explode into another fit of rage or simply dissolve into tears. She settled for a mixture of both and was pounding the floor with a balled-up fist while hot tears leaked down her cheek when the unmistakable scent of coffee layered over with bacon and a slight hint of maple syrup drifted across her nose. Pulling herself to her feet and wiping her face angrily, Kaoru went back into the sitting room and found to her astonishment that a full breakfast was waiting for her: bacon, scrambled eggs, pancakes dripping with butter, orange juice, coffee, all served on elegant bone china and accompanied by fine silverware. Polished silver serving dishes held creamer, coffee, sugar, and syrup, and colorful jams sparkled in jewel-cut glass jars.

Kaoru stared suspiciously at the breakfast on the table. She had only been out of the room a minute or two and had left the door between the bedroom and sitting room open. It was ridiculous to believe that someone could have gotten into the room, set up everything, and left without her knowing or hearing anything. Remembering the man in the mirror and the window that refused to shatter, Kaoru narrowed her eyes. _Magic. It has to be magic_. The logical side of her brain snorted,_ Magic? There's no such thing as magic. So the owner of the house installed safety glass in the sitting room and obviously likes really, really sturdy mirrors, big deal. And he has servants that are quite sneaky and very good at what they do. _The suspicious side of her brain shot back, _Then what about the man in the mirror? How do you explain that? _

This mental debate went on for a few minutes before Kaoru realized that the bacon was getting cold and that she was very hungry. She was also highly suspicious of the food, wondering if it was spiked or bewitched but a few tentative nibbles melted her resolve and soon there was little left in the serving dishes. She didn't eat this well at home; as a struggling college student with no family to support her and a scholarship that only paid a portion of her hefty college bills, Kaoru's diet mainly revolved around the Four College Student Food groups: ramen noodle, peanut butter, canned ravioli, and free food scrounged from various social events around campus. In contrast, the breakfast she had just consumed was one of the best meals she had eaten in a long, long time.

A full stomach somewhat mollified her and a dose of caffeine fortified her resolve to think logically. There had to be some way out of this place, and, washing her hands in the fancy bathroom, Kaoru was determined to find just that.

However, an hour or so of prowling, poking, plotting, and prodding had turned up nothing. The door locks were unpickable, there were no handy Kaoru-sized ventilation ducts to shimmy through to freedom, no hidden passageways, no telephone wires to hack. Houdini might have possibly found a way out, but Kaoru was stumped. She finally had to admit defeat and was trying to rein in her growing sense of fear and frustration as time passed. The red-haired man who had shared her bed (and Kaoru was desperately hoping that nothing more had been shared than sleeping space) would likely be back soon and, recalling his glowing amber eyes, Kaoru shivered at the thought of facing him again. That recall jogged her memory, and she went back into the bedroom to pluck the katana free from its wall mounts.

The feel of braided cord and _tsuba_ against her palm was immensely comforting, and Kaoru busied herself by looking over her newly-acquired weapon. No wall-hanger was this, a cheap gimmick purchased at an Asian trinket store, but a true cutting blade. She examined its _hamon_ closely, testing the weight and balance, and smiled to herself. _Let Ginger come on back now and give me that look again, _she thought grimly. _Or the black-haired dude. I'd gladly take him on, the bastard. _

Chortling, Kaoru visualized both of them in front of her and began making some practice swings across the floor. The room had lofty walls, leaving her plenty of room to swing a sword. Not that she had any qualms about gouging holes through the roof and leaving chunks of ceiling panel behind to express her ire, but she was too good a swordswoman to risk damage to a blade. However, this room was both wide and tall enough to serve as a tolerable dojo, and Kaoru gladly took advantage of its space.

As her feet settled into accustomed patterns, Kaoru moved across the floor, grateful for training to calm her down and give her a centerpoint. Pushing aside her fear and anxiety, she concentrated on her form. As the minutes ticked by, movement smoothed tense muscles and a light sweat trickled away both body heat and worry. Pattern by pattern, form by form, kata by kata, she worked through the curriculum of Kamiya Kasshin Ryu.

An hour or so into her practice, Kaoru was gasping, sweat-soaked, but energized at the same time. She had been so busy lately with schoolwork, a part-time job, and some teaching on the side that she hadn't given a huge amount of time to her own training. It felt good to be back into hard training. As she moved into a sparring pattern, she conjured up an image of the amber-eyed redhead, imagining him (fully clothed, of course) with a drawn sword. With glee, she attacked, slashing at him, weaving around his blade, attacking, stabbing, thrusting. He turned towards her, amber eyes gleaming, and Kaoru maniacally lunged towards him, katana arching forward.

_Bang_! Kaoru juddered forward, knocked off-balance as her sword came to a sudden, grinding halt, clasped firmly between two strong hands as amber eyes glowered at her through red bangs. _Eeeepp_! she thought frantically. The imaginary opponent had materialized into a very much real adversary, one that looked far more threatening without a sword than many men would look with one. Kaoru bit her lip and glared at him, daring him to make the next move.

The man returned the glare, then removed his hands from the sword and stepped back. As he did, Kaoru was surprised to see the amber swirl out of his eyes and be replaced with a rather odd violet. It contrasted strangely with his flaming hair. Suddenly, Kaoru remembered with crushing swiftness the sheer embarrassment of their first meeting, and red filled her cheeks. The man too, now that danger had passed, seemed to remember the event for an identical blush crept up to his cheeks too. Clearing his throat, he said awkwardly, "You must be hungry, Miss. Please follow me."

Kaoru stared at him, then reached for the _saya_ she had placed on the bed. She had no intention of letting the sword out of her hand. Sliding the katana into its sheath, she padded after the man and was not entirely surprised to see a fine lunch laid out in the sitting room. Excusing herself, Kaoru went to the bathroom to mope up her streaming face and wash her hands. She knew she must smell like a dead horse after that workout, but Kaoru decided that reeking of sweat was probably a good tactical move on her part. Whatever it took to avoid waking up naked with a similarly unclothed strange man was fine by her.

The man was standing at a chair waiting for her and did not sit until she had done so first. Kaoru noticed for the first time that he was dressed in a white gi and pink hakama. _Pink is so not his color, not with that hair_, she thought spitefully. Ignoring him, she pulled a serving dish toward her. Despite her heavy breakfast, she was starving. The man cleared his throat and said hesitantly, "I am Kenshin Himura. May I have your name?"

"Kaoru Kamiya," Kaoru said shortly, intent on piling succulent roast beef on her plate.

"Kaoru-dono, I," Kenshin stopped, blushing, and Kaoru was faintly surprised to see what looked liked genuine regret spread across his face, "I most deeply apologize for...for last night. I..."

"Oh, no problem," Kaoru snarled, sarcasm dripping on every phoneme. "I regularly go home with strange men I meet in bars that slip me roofies. No worries." Kenshin's red face grew even redder and his hand clenched so tightly around his fork that it snapped under his fingers. "Just answer me this," Kaoru said, banging her fist emphatically on the table. Knowing that she was really, really going to hate the answer, she said in a rushed jumble of words, "Did we _actually_...um..." Courage failed her, and the last couple words died on her tongue as she saw Kenshin's face twist in embarrassment.

Heavy silence lay on the table for several eternal seconds. Finally, Kenshin took in a deep breath and said softly, "Apparently yes."

Suddenly the tender roast beef didn't look so good anymore. Kaoru shoved her plate away and face-palmed her head forward. "Oh shit, shit, shit, shit, shit," she muttered, "I'm not on any birth control." _And if I was drunk or drugged enough to have sex with a random stranger, you can bet in hell we didn't use a condom_, she thought desperately.

Kenshin was fiddling with the broken pieces of his fork, ignoring the rapidly cooling food between them as he tried to digest the turn of events life had placed in both of their ways. He felt guilt and shame rise up in his belly and wished deeply he could be a thousand miles away. Suddenly Kaoru's head snapped upwards, and tear-filled eyes glared at him. "Wait," Kenshin said, holding up a hand before she decided to go at him with the steak knife by her plate. "Let me start from the beginning."

Snapping his fingers, Kenshin summered his element. A salamander burst into the room, skipped lightly across the carpet, and hopped up onto the table. Kaoru scooted back rapidly, knocking her chair to the ground, "The hell is that?" she yelled.

"A salamander," Kenshin replied. "My elemental spirit. Incidentally the same one that brought you breakfast this morning." The salamander shimmered towards Kaoru, flicking its tail in happiness. Kenshin smiled to himself; Kaoru, provoked by anger, was emanating her element, so much so that he was surprised massive gusts of wind were not racing around the room. _Master was right,_ he thought to himself. Her magical talent was unknown to her and untrained but it was practically bursting out of her skin. _Air feeds fire_, one of the first lessons Hiko had taught him. The salamander couldn't resist Kaoru in her highly-peeved state, not with all the air energy she was producing. The Soul Bond had done its work: had woken Kaoru's dormant magical abilities and woven her _chi_ pattern together with Kenshin's. It was a weak weave but it would strengthen with time. For now, it was firm enough that any of Kenshin's salamanders would adore her and heed her commands.

To her credit, Kaoru didn't scream, shriek, or run away as the salamander happily twirled around her body, lapping up the air energy her anger was creating in such abundant qualities. She merely watched in deep suspicion and incredulous astonishment as the fiery creature blazed hotter and larger before galloping excitedly around the room in a burst of merriment, then zoomed out of the room.

When it was gone, Kaoru turned to Kenshin and said in controlled tones, "Care to explain what that was?"

Kenshin sighed, "The simple explanation is this: I am a Fire Master. I wield the element of Fire."

"Fire Master," Kaoru digested the words. "I am assuming that has something to do with magic."

"Precisely," Kenshin replied. Snapping his fingers, he summoned the salamander back. The food had gone cold on their plates, but when the salamander danced across the table, heat returned to the roast beef, mashed potatoes, and peas. Kaoru stared at the food suspiciously, but her stomach gave a growl and she reluctantly lifted a forkful of beef to her mouth. As a college student, she was disinclined to turn down a free hot meal, no matter what company she had to eat it in.

As she ate, Kaoru absorbed what Kenshin had said. Logic said that magic was impossible. But Kaoru had seen the man in the mirror, a window that would not break, and a ball of lizard-shaped fire dancing around her. Whether she wanted to believe it or not, magic seemed to be the only probably explanation. _Occam's razor,_ she thought to herself grimly, _It's possible that I am merely having a very bad roofie-induced nightmare. But it's more likely that everything Kenshin says is true and I just have to go on the best I can. Oh dear God, what have I gotten myself into?_

Finally, Kaoru voiced the question that had been foremost on her mind since she woke up. "Why am I here?" she said pointedly.

Kenshin fiddled with his knife, not looking at her. "Kaoru-dono, I," he sighed, somehow knowing that telling her the truth straight up was better than trying to break it to her gently. "Many years ago, I left my Master before my training in both Fire Magic and Sword Magic were completed. There are...many fractions among magic users, and the wars among them cause many tragedies for humanity so I.."

"How so?" Kaoru interrupted.

"Well, tsunamis, droughts, and hurricanes are the work of Water Masters," Kenshin pointed out practically. "Earth Masters call up earthquakes and cause land to become sterile. Wind Masters bring tornadoes. And Fire Masters are responsible for devastating fires and lightening storms. In fact, most of the natural disasters humans encounter are the result of evil or warring Elemental Masters. And it is not merely Masters who wield this power. Even those with small command of Elemental Magic can deeply affect humans. And they do so, often."

Kenshin paused for a moment, then continued in a low voice, staring into the silver juice pitcher as if lost in distant memories. Softly, he continued, "I was young and foolish many years ago, Kaoru-dono, and I wished to put an end to the suffering of the world. Despite my master's commands, I believed that with my Element and my sword, I could set the world aright again. So I left my master and joined in the war of the Elements." Sorrow flooded his face and he looked so deeply troubled that Kaoru was touched with a strange pity for him. "To that end, I failed utterly."

"What did you do?" Kaoru asked, rather hesitantly. It was another question to which she knew she would not like the answer. She was right, Kenshin's hand gripped his knife, knuckles whitening.

"I killed. Many magic-wielders." Kenshin said tightly. "Masters, apprentices, mages, whoever I was directed to kill by my superiors. I did so believing that my bloody sword would create peace. It did not." His eyes lifted to her and she was alarmed to see that amber had returned to their depths. "Do you recall, Kaoru-dono, the Japanese tsunami ten years ago?"

Kaoru nodded, remembering the horror of reading about the tragic event. The tsunami had sprung up without warning and swamped the mainland, sending 20 foot waves crashing onto the shore. Over a hundred thousand people had died, and many more had been injured. No official explanation had ever been made for the event; it had simply been deemed a freak natural disaster.

Kenshin was practically shattering the steak knife under his fingers, "I was commanded to slay a Earth Master, and I did so. I was not aware that he was warring for control with a Water Master and in his absence, the Water Master had the power to send the tsunami as a way of showing his strength and venting his spite. Over a hundred thousand souls were lost, all because of my actions."

Kaoru sucked in a breath and counted to ten. Slowly and very carefully, she replied, "I am very sorry for you. But I am still not sure why I am here."

Kenshin nodded, "Of course, forgive me. After...after the tsunami, I realized the full magnitude of what I had done and forsook my killing ways. I have been a wandered for the past ten years, seeking...seeking a way to somewhat atone for the lives I have taken. Not long ago, I returned to my Master to complete what I had left unfinished for so many years."

"May I ask why?" Kaoru said.

Kenshin looked at her sadly, "I accumulated many enemies over my years as a slayer, Kaoru-dono and unfortunately my skills as a fighter still have their uses. The way of Hiten Mitsurugi is the ability to destroy a Master's power. Doing so kills him, destroying both your adversary and his magical ability. But I..." he paused for a moment, "I believe that there is a way to remove a Master's power without taking his life. I have come to my Master to complete my training and to see if I can learn how to overcome my enemy without killing him. There is still evil in this world, and stopping it will be my atonement for all the lives that I have ended. However..." he bit his lip, "I have begun to reach the limits of my skills. Only a Soul Bond will give me the strength I need to overcome all enemies that I must face."

"A Soul Bond?" Kaoru questioned.

Some red returned to Kenshin's face and he shuffled his feet. "A Soul Bond, well, it happens when two strong Magic users of complementary Elements, um, well, _unite_ themselves together." He cleared his throat as Kaoru flushed. "This mingles their powers together and grants them strength that they cannot reach on their own."

"But, but, I don't _have_ any magical powers," Kaoru protested.

"You are not aware of it, but you do, the talent is there and it is quite strong, I may add," Kenshin snapped his fingers again and five salamanders sailed into the room. "Watch," he commanded. The salamanders flew towards Kaoru with unbridled joy. As they danced and swirled around her, their heat and size increased dramatically and their frantic circles became more frenzied.

"You will be an Air Master, of that I have no doubt," Kenshin said. "Air feeds fire. My salamanders already love you. In fact," he looked at Kaoru quizzically, "I am surprised another Elemental Master has not sensed your presence before." He frowned thoughtfully, "You have a strong spirit and powerful _chi_ to cloak such magical talent for so long. Generally magic wielders begin breaking out in childhood. May I ask how old you are?"

"Twenty," Kaoru sniffed.

"Most peculiar," Kenshin replied.

Kaoru was silent for a minute, then set her fork down. "So stripped of all its verbiage, what you said in a nutshell is that I have strong magic abilities that you need, so you somehow got me unconscious, dragged me back her, date-raped me, and now expect me to help you on some hero's quest to rid the world of evil and all that daring-do jazz?"

Kenshin opened his mouth, shut it, then gave it another go, "Kaoru-dono, I...em, let me be very clear that I have absolutely no memory of what happened last night. While I take full responsibility for _anything_ that happened, I honestly cannot recall anything beyond being at the bar and seeing you across the room. The, em, rest of the night, was...well, shall we say _orchestrated_ by outside forces."

"The black-haired bastard in the mirror?" Kaoru growled.

Kenshin was torn between loyalty and honestly so he remained silent, but his tormented face was enough to give Kaoru the answer she needed. "The pervert," she rumbled, rising up from her chair. "Where is he? I am so gonna pound him dead."

"Kaoru-dono," Kenshin said firmly, and the verbratto of his voice was enough to sink her reluctantly back into her seat. "I too am much distressed by what happened and given my way, last night would have never happened, not like it did. It was not honorable. However, well, the long and short of it is that last night _did_ happen and we must move forward with that knowledge."

"Meaning?" Kaoru said warningly.

"Meaning that you are here now," Kenshin replied simply. "The Soul Bond has been made, your Elemental talent has been awoken, and you have quite a bit of training ahead of you."

"And what if I have absolutely no intention of being trained at all?" Kaoru snarled. "Fact is, I don't. I want to go home now."

Kenshin sighed, "I'm afraid that is not possible."

Kaoru gritted her teeth, "Why not?"

"Because your magic has been awoken, you are now in danger to both yourself and the people around you," Kenshin stated. "In fact, that is generally how Masters find new apprentices, somewhere a child is setting fires or calling up windstorms and people are talking. A newly-woken Elemental user is extremely unstable. The natural disasters I told you about, well some have been caused by Sensitives wielding Elemental power by accident and without knowing how to control or stop their actions."

"Besides," Kenshin responded. "Your natural talent for Elemental magic is particularly potent, and it would not be long before another Master, either good or evil, would take notice. Letting you go would be putting you in grave danger."

Kaoru sniffed, "You know, the old _I'm-imprisoning-you-for-your-own-good-you-helpless-idiot _line might have worked with Bella Swan, but you're not a sparkly vampire and I'm not a swoony nitwit. If you must keep me captive, don't insult me by trying to pretend that you are doing it for my benefit. Be honest, this is all about you. You need me. Fair enough. Just know, I don't intend to play the _damsel in distress_-style prisoner."

Kenshin smiled thinly, "I can live with that."

"Fine," Kaoru snapped. Neither of them had eaten much and they were both glaring at each other over the highly-polished table. Kenshin looked at her and realized that there was one way to calm her down. "Come," he said, "Take the katana." He rose to his feet, and Kaoru reluctantly followed.

The door unlocked with a wave of Kenshin's hand, and Kaoru padded out into the elegantly-appointed hallway. Whoever Kenshin's master was, Kaoru had to grudgingly admit that he had style. A few minutes of walking led them to a room that made Kaoru stop in amazement. _Now THIS is a dojo_, she thought in slack-jawed amazement. If she had a hundred thousand dollars to her name, the first thing she would do is build an exact replica of the room in front of her.

Kenshin moved to the sword rack and took up a katana, holding it at the precise angle and bowing ritually before sliding it in his belt. Turning to face her, he bowed again. Kaoru smiled wickedly. She may not have a clue about this magic the redhead had been rambling on about but there was one thing she did know: what to do when an opponent was facing her with a sword. Despite her morning workout, she still had a huge amount of energy and aggression stored up. _Ginger, you're a dead man!_


	3. Meeting the Master

_He's...unreal! _Kaoru thought desperately. Fighting Kenshin had been surreal, he seemed everywhere and nowhere at once: inhumanly fast, light, and strong. His diminutive frame seemed to defy all rules of gravity, natural law, and logic. An hour into practice and Kaoru was nearing the end of her strength, sweat-drenched, and nursing a rapidly diminishing confidence in her own sword skills. She was too exhausted to be properly angry that Redhead had easily evaded all her whole-hearted attempts to kill him. Kaoru had held nothing back and saw no reason to: she had been incapacitated, date-raped, and was now imprisoned and as far as she was concerned, it was her rightful duty to make sure Kenshin was as dead as she could possibly make him. However, most infuriatingly, Kenshin was still very much alive. In fact, except for a trickle of sweat running down his face and a slight increase in his breathing, he showed very little sign of exertion, in stark contrast to Kaoru's drenched clothing and heaving lungs.

"Having fun, are we now?" a sardonic voice filled the room. Kaoru whipped her head around to see a tall, heavily muscled man wrapped in a white cloak standing in the doorway, gigantic arms folded across his chest. Without thinking, Kaoru gathered what little strength she had and flew at him, sword aiming for the kill.

"Now, now, enough of that," the man responded irritably, waving a languid finger. Kaoru stopped midair as if she had collided with an invisible wall. She fell to the ground slightly stunned and from her vantage point noticed Kenshin startle and make towards her with a concerned look.

"Leave her, _baka_," the man snapped. "You took plenty of beatings from me, and I don't intend to spare her. She's a swordswoman, she can stand it. Leave us. You have plenty of chores to do."

Kenshin's face contorted but he bowed slightly, then left the room. Kaoru pulled herself to a sitting position, glaring at the man and wondering how to plan her next attack.

"Good, you have enough brains to not to try the same thing twice when the first attempt did not work," the man grunted. "Much more than I can say for my previous _deshi, _I don't think any master was as burdened with such a stupid pupil as I was."

Kaoru was suddenly seized with an irrational desire to defend Kenshin. "He's a jerk but you're the bigger bastard of the two of you!" Suddenly Kaoru gave a yelp as something fiery slid across her arm. "Ow!"

"Manners," the man rumbled. "Like it or not, you are in my house and under my authority, and I don't tolerate insubordinance. You will also listen to my _baka deshi_ as well, for both of us will be training you."

Kaoru waved her arm trying to cool it. The fire had subsided, leaving no sort of mark behind, but her skin still tingled with pain. She glared at the man who returned her stare with a look of mild amusement. "Oh yes, you seem smarter than that idiot who is now puttering around my kitchen but I expect that you will be much more obstinate. Very well. All that stubbornness will serve you well in the future. You will be a fine Air Master, of that I have no doubt. As far as sword skills," he cocked his head, "We shall see. I doubt you will reach the level of my other _deshi_ but," he shrugged, "time will tell. And now," he brought his hands together with a firm clap, "We begin."

Tiredness was settling into Kaoru's limbs, and the fight was dying in her. Right now, she knew the best course of action was to simply comply and meanwhile hope like hell an escape plan materialized. "Fine," she sighed in resignation, "Well, _Master_, what do want me to do?"

* * *

_Owie, owie, ow! _Kaoru thought to herself as she lay sprawled out on the dojo floor. Every muscle ached from the combined six hours of practice, she, Kenshin, and Hiko had put her through that first day. Mercifully, Hiko was letting her rest. He was sitting cross-legged on the floor, sipping some tea Kenshin had brought him.

As Kaoru examined the _tatami_ matting closely with her face, her exhausted brain formulated a rather important question. "Why sword skills?" she muttered.

"What?" Hiko rumbled.

Kaoru rolled over on her back, not bothering to look at her new "master". A little louder, she voiced a question that had been nagging her for hours. "Why bother with a sword when you are an Elemental Master?"

"For the simple reason of cross-training," Hiko said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Elemental magic is far from infallible: a weak magic wielder can lose to an excellent swordsman with no magical ability whatsoever. In fact, there are those who are curiously immune to the influence of magic. Both myself and my idiot apprentice have faced armed opponents who simply sidestepped our magic and had we not been Sword Masters, we would have fallen under their hands. Also, not all evil men and women in this world are magic wielders. It is..._prudent_ in those cases to seek...ah, alternate means of stopping them. After all, a coroner has a much easier time determining the cause of death when a body is missing its head as opposed to when magic was involved. Using a sword often leads to far fewer questions."

Kaoru digested this. Hiko continued, "Many Elemental Masters don't bother to learn any alternate fighting techniques whether out of hubris or laziness or lack of natural talent. It is quite rare for someone to have the talent to become both an Elemental Master and a Weapons Master, even rarer for someone to achieve complete mastery in both as I have done." Smugness caressed each word, and Kaoru had the overwhelming desire to throw something at him.

"In fact, that is why I took on Kenshin," Hiko continued. "Had he possessed only one ability, I would not have bothered but it was clear that mastery of both fire and the sword were in his reach." Kaoru had the feeling that this was as close to praise as the rude man ever reached. "Conversely, this is also why you were chosen."

Kaoru rolled over to face him and grudgingly pulled herself up to a sitting position, every muscle clamoring in protest. Hiko sniffed, "In fact, I've had my eye on you quite awhile, you know. Someone with your natural abilities could not hide long from an Elemental Master. However, I have not been precisely certain about what to _do_ with you exactly. In the meantime, I had settled for casting certain spells about you to cloak your abilities from other Elemental Masters who might take notice of you."

Kaoru stiffened in anger and opened her mouth to protest. Hiko beat her to the punch, "Know that I did so purely out of my own generosity and goodness of heart. I could have left you to the wolves, as they say. Eventually another Master would have sensed you, and the results might have been quite different from the situation you are in now."

"Oh, you mean the whole 'kidnap, rape, and imprison' thing? Like there could be worse situations to be in?" Kaoru snapped sarcastically.

"Rape?" Hiko snorted. "Little fool, it took very, very little, ah, _manipulation_ on my part to bring you and Kenshin together. Your youth, your _chi_ patterns, your complementary abilities, all a recipe for romance. Of course, don't bother asking me for further advice, I have little interest in the subject. But I daresay you will work things out nicely between the two of you. As far as kidnapping and imprisoning, dummy, I could not in good conscious let you loose in the normal world again until you learned how to control the powers that have recently awakened in you. You would end up accidentally calling up a freak tornado or blowing away a building if provoked, all of which would alert an Elemental Master and you would easily find yourself imprisoned by a less _accomodating_ host. For now, you are staying here, but I promise it will not be permanent. Eventually you will have the control and strength to move about as you choose."

"No I won't," Kaoru said slowly. "If given my choice, I would _choose_ not to have this happen, choose to give up these magic skills. I sure as hell don't want them. I want my life back and things to go back to normal. But..." she looked narrowly at Hiko, "I imagine that is not possible anymore."

"Precisely," Hiko responded. "I'm glad to see you are taking this so well. Now," he set his cup down, "Since you are rested, you have magic skills to practice."

Kaoru's stomach grumbled, "I'm hungry," she complained. They could force her to train but they couldn't force her to be helpfully obedient.

"Too bad," Hiko said. "I am your master and I will decide when you eat or sleep. Now, listen to me..." Kaoru risked making a face at him, then reluctantly moved forward for her first magic lesson.

**Author's note: Whew, three chapters banged out in two days! Please review! I am on break for the holidays and hopefully will be finishing this soon. I am so glad to have a decent fanfiction plot percolating in my brain. **


	4. Salamanders and Popcorn

**Author's note: thanks so much everyone for the feedback! A big shout-out to JMai for kindly pointing out that I have been spelling Kaoru's name wrong...and I think I have probably done that for ALL my fanfiction. Must check. Anyway, this chapter has a lot of info packed in and is slightly dry in areas, but there is some light lime at the end to liven things up a bit. Enjoy! **

"Very good, Kaoru," Kenshin smiled.

"Thanks," Kaoru panted, a flush of pride welling up in her. She and Kenshin had been beating swords together all morning and she was covered with sweat, aching from burning muscles, gasping for air through tortured lungs, and feeling oddly happy. Despite the coerced nature of her training, Kaoru was surprised to discover how good it felt to have a sword in her hands again. When her father had died a few weeks after she graduated from high school, Kaoru had been so absorbed in grieving his loss, desperately trying to make ends meet, and preparing for college that kendo had plummeted to the bottom rung of her priorities. Aside from teaching a few classes here and there and trying to fit in practice time between college coursework, her bokken had been more of a conversational piece in her dorm room than a weapon. Two weeks of captivity had made it abundantly clear how badly she was out of training and how many calluses she had lost on her hands, and both Kenshin and Hiko seemed determined to rectify these issues as soon as humanely possible.

Kenshin sheathed his katana with a smooth effortlessness that Kaoru longed to emulate (her short arms had always made resheathing an interesting exercise in contortionism) and nodded to Kaoru, "Rest now." Kaoru badly wanted to succumb to gravity and let herself collapse to the ground in a sprawling heap of exhausted flesh, but she retained her warrior poise and lowered herself to the floor in _seiza_. Gratefully taking the bottle of water Kenshin handed her, she downed half of it before coming up for air.

A companionable silence settled over the dojo as Kenshin and Kaoru sat lost in their own thoughts. Kenshin closed his eyes, allowing Kaoru to surreptitiously examine him. While she had loathed the sight of the man at first, Kenshin's politeness and genuine regret over the exact nature of their first meeting had eroded Kaoru's hatred and while it was still somewhat awkward and unsettling to be around him, she had worked through some of it and was slowly adjusting to her new life.

The adjustment had only come after the realization that escape currently wasn't an option: Kaoru had spent the first week trying to formulate a few jailbreak plans that were resoundingly thwarted. Practically every waking moment was spent with Hiko, Kenshin, or the both of them ordering her around, and she was too heavily supervised to disappear. At night, her door and windows were unopenable and unbreakable. There were no phones or computers or other means to summon help; she had even thought of writing a message and placing it in a window in hopes that someone would see it but a glance through the windows revealed that the mansion was out in the boonies and no one was around except for her two captors.

After about two weeks, Kaoru had finally wrapped her head around the idea that she was currently stuck and simply had to make the best of the situation in hopes that things would change in the future. However, her current predicament did involve sword training and the brand-new subject of magic, and it took place in a gorgeous mansion where all her needs were met and all she needed to worry about was her training and her chores. Her second day of forced apprenticeship, she had discovered that all her belongings from her dorm room had materialized inside her new quarters. When she grilled Kenshin, he merely responded that all her affairs had been taken care of: she had been withdrawn from college, her part-time job had been notified of her leaving, and there was apparently no loose ends she needed to trouble herself with. While it infuriated Kaoru that she had been so effectively removed from her former life, she did grudgingly admit that Kenshin had arranged everything seamlessly and it was a small comfort to not have to pinch pennies and stress about how she was going to pay next semester's tuition. Compared to her former life of ramen noodles, exams, ratty old clothes, and student loans, this new life had its perks.

As Kaoru had readjusted to hard training again, she began recalling how much she had loved it, loved the intense practices, the aching muscles and fatigue and sense of accomplishment. Being kidnapped and forced to do something she adored was not as great a hardship as it might have been, and at times Kaoru forgot that she was indeed a prisoner.

Kenshin was implicit in her captivity, but the calm, quiet man sitting on the floor was starting to become more of a companion than a jailer. Looking over Kenshin, Kaoru's thoughts wandered briefly to the color of Kenshin's hair – a shaft of sunlight had turned it to fire, and it glowed with a thousand brilliant tints. Admiring it, Kaoru idly thought about what it would feel like to run her fingers through the red locks, then stopped, irritated. _What the hell do I care what his hair feels like? _she asked herself fiercely, feeling an odd blush rise to her cheeks.

It was at this most inopportune time that Kenshin chose to glance up and catch her staring at him. Violet looked into blue, and Kaoru jerked her head away, embarrassed and then angry at herself for feeling so. Kenshin said nothing for a few moments, then gently questioned, "How have these two weeks been for you? Are you adjusting?"

Kaoru suddenly found a smudge on her katana's sheath that needed buffing away. Rubbing at it with a bit more vigor than necessary she replied, "As well as I can, I guess."

"I see," Kenshin responded and sadness crept into his eyes. "I am sorry. More than anything, I wish this entire situation would have been different."

"Kenshin, stop apologizing," Kaoru huffed with a trace of irritation. "Look, what happened happened. It's done. I know you would have done things differently if you could have, and I appreciate that. But it happened, and I'm here. This isn't the life I would have picked out for myself, but it's not as bad as it could be. You've been kind and I appreciate it, I'm back in sword training, and I'm learning new things. All in all, this is not a terribly bad situation. Let's just move forward."

Kenshin smiled rather ruefully but said, "Then we will do that."

"Good," Kaoru climbed slowly back up to her feet, feeling overworked leg muscles protesting mightily. "Then let's get back to work."

* * *

"Heads, it's _Bleach_, tails it's _Death Note_," Kenshin said as he flipped a quarter upwards several feet. As it arched back down, he plucked it effortless from the air in midspin and slapped it against the back of his hand. "Heads," he called.

"Ha! Gimme that remote," Kaoru chortled. Kenshin resignedly handed it over as Kaoru pressed the play button and settled back into the overstuffed couch. As electric guitar sounds and a snappy drum beat hit the surround-sound speakers, Kaoru's mind drifted away and began musing on the oddity of her new life. It was surreal that she could have spent the entire day wielding a sword and trying to master the Basic Summoning spell, all this otherworldly stuff, then pass the evening sitting on the couch with very ordinary, solidly familiar microwave popcorn and anime.

The entire past month had been similarly disjointed. Kaoru's new "home" for lack of a better word was steeped in both magic and modernity. Salamanders kept much of it clean, skilled in their ability to burn away any impurity and filth without damaging carpet, furniture, or countertops. Kaoru had long since accustomed herself to the lizard-shaped streaks of fire that constantly zoomed around the gigantic mansion like excited lapdogs. She had her own living area, complete with another one of those damned mirrors that either Hiko or Kenshin could summon her through. In fact, Kaoru had been irritated to discover that all the mirrors in the house were similarly enchanted, and if Hiko wanted her, all he had to do was look in a mirror to find out what room she was in and bellow at her through the glass. Most unhappily, Kaoru had discovered that the mirror in her room was stuck firmly to the wall and no amount of prying would loosen it: moreover, covering it up with a cloth only earned her an extra round of chores. However, since it was in her sitting room and not her bedroom or bathroom, she tried to ignore it.

But despite the magic that permeated the entire house, Kaoru was constantly astonished at how, well, _ordinary_ it was. Since she was now an apprentice, abet a reluctant one, she could not escape her quota of chores, much of which involved cleaning that the salamanders either could not or would not do. Kenshin was in charge of the cooking, something Kaoru volunteered to help with, fully knowing that her mediocre cooking skills would mean Hiko's meals were guaranteed to be burnt, oversalted, or otherwise "accidentally" ruined; however, Kenshin had politely but firmly banished her from the kitchen. From what she had seen, the kitchen was fully modern, equipped with blenders, toasters, and a stainless steel fridge. The laundry room had a high-tech washer and dryer, detergent, and fabric softener. A few times, Kaoru swore she heard a cellphone ring somewhere in the house. The entertainment room Kaoru and Kenshin were sitting in was furnished with overstuffed couches, a massive HD TV, and surround-sound speakers, and Kenshin had said something about them getting Netflicks streamed in. Clearly Hiko was quite wealthy and enjoyed the finer things of life, both magical and non-magical.

However, it was also clear that Hiko liked yelling at his two apprentices even more and that despite the entertainment center and state-of-the-art oven, this was a house of serious training and the prolonged suffering that accompanied it. If Kaoru was not up by dawn, Hiko was sure to bellow through the mirror for her to get her lazy ass out of bed and she didn't stop moving until evening. Except when occupied with chores, Kaoru spent dawn to dusk in a rotation of being yelled at, ordered around, and mentally provoked by Hiko and being respectfully tutored by Kenshin, both instructing her in their sword art and magic.

"You'll need an Air Master's tutelage eventually, girl," Hiko had commented. "But my _baka deshi_ and I can give you the magical foundation you need. All magic users start out the first few years learning the same skills anyway, and any Elemental Master can teach that. Besides, my foolish apprentice would be well served by having someone to teach: the best way to learn something is to teach someone else how to do it. Maybe you can be instrumental in beating some sense into that idiot's head. At the very least, he will finally understand how frustrating it is to have an apprentice and realize how much I have suffered on his behalf all these years." Hiko was practically preening as he said that last line. Then frowning, he rumbled, "And stop making faces, I can see that, you know." Kaoru hastily stiffened up; she had been making gagging expressions into her sleeve on the pretext of coughing. Hiko's arrogance practically had its own mailing address, and Kaoru surmised that there was very little which could threaten the man's fortress-like assurance of his own awesomeness.

Although she grudgingly had to admit that he wasn't a bad teacher: although Hiko heaped on sarcasm and seemed to delight in provoking Kaoru into losing her temper, he hardly ever lost control of his. Even when Hiko yelled at her or Kenshin, it was usually in a rather lazy, _oh God, how long must I put up with this tedious bullshit?_ sort of way. Also, Kaoru had to admit that her new master was less rude to her than he was to Kenshin; Kaoru had only heard him call Kenshin by his rightful name a few times and most of the time used some abusive term or other to summon his long-suffering apprentice. However, Hiko seemed to prefer attaching a fairly moderate negative to "girl" and using it to address Kaoru; "foolish girl" seemed to be his most favorite one so far. Since it was less harsh than "idiot apprentice", Kaoru let it pass. Unlike Kenshin, though, she sometimes gave abuse right back, as much as Hiko would let her get away with and far more than she suspected Kenshin would be allotted.

Kenshin was a far different teacher, never deviating from scrupluous politeness (although Hiko kept snapping "You'll never gain the authority you need over an apprentice if you keep calling her _dono_, you idiot!") and endlessly patient. Unlike Hiko, he never raised his voice and very unlike Hiko he was free with praise. All told, Kaoru realized that having two instructors with vastly different teaching styles was rather helpful. Alternating between being bellowed at and verbally baited and being quietly praised and encouraged kept her lessons interesting and provided different levels of motivation.

After a month of her forced apprenticeship, Kaoru had fallen into a fairly regular pattern: mornings and early afternoons spent in sword work and afternoons/evenings of magic training, Hiko and Kenshin trading Kaoru back and forth between them. At certain points of the day, she would be set chores to do so that Hiko could order Kenshin about for a change. Often training stretched into late evening so that the days ended up being endless and Kaoru often fell into bed each night exhausted. Although she suspected that Hiko was easier on her than he was on Kenshin, the training was both mentally and physically draining. On the rare nights that Hiko released them both at a reasonable hour, she rarely had energy to do anything more than just flop on the couch utterly spent. As a result, she and Kenshin had fallen into a pattern of popcorn and anime on free nights which was what they were doing right now.

Episode 29 of _Bleach_ was in full swing on the TV, but Kaoru wasn't really paying attention. Instead, she kept ruminating over the Basic Summoning spell Kenshin and Hiko had been teaching her, or at least attempting too. All magical wielders needed to master it in order summon the embodiment of their element. Kenshin and Hiko had salamanders that they could conjure up by the dozens with merely a snap of their fingers. Kaoru knew that her element was a zephyr and according to drawings she had seen, she knew it would look similar to a crane. But her efforts with the Basic Summoning spell were only producing erratic bursts of wind that sent small objects flying. A crane-shaped otherworldly being had yet to materialize.

Squinching her forehead together, Kaoru tried to concentrate, reaching inwardly for her elemental power. It irritated her to no end that she couldn't do this. Sword skills were one thing; Kenshin or Hiko would show her a form and she would perform it again and again until she got it right. But magic skills were different; Hiko or Kenshin could tell her _what_ to do but could not _show_ her. Kaoru was a visual learner, not an auditory one, and it was extremely frustrating trying to figure out what exactly she was supposed to be doing. As both Kenshin and Hiko had explained it, magic training was basically about learning how to tap into her natural ability and both control and direct the energies inside her rather than starting with zero ability and skill and working up from there, which was how Kaoru's sword training had been. Her magical training was vastly more frustrating than the brutal Hiten Mitsurugi sword style Hiko and Kenshin were beating into her. However, unlike the sword, Kaoru could practice magic just about anywhere and she found herself doing so constantly: in the bathtub, scrubbing the floor, waiting for Hiko to finish yelling at Kenshin over something, lying in bed, brushing her hair, it was an endless struggle to try to coax a reluctant zephyr into being.

Kaoru squeezed her eyes together, feeling tension rise up in her. It seemed so simple when Hiko and Kenshin summoned their elements. What was she doing wrong? Closing her mind to the noise of the TV, she reached inwards, straining desperately.

_Crash_! The bowl of popcorn hit the floor and two full glasses of soda and ice cubes went flying. The drapes shivered and a picture on the wall wobbled dangerously. Kaoru jumped to her feet, "Sorry, I'm sorry!" she yelled and dived for the scattered popcorn.

"Don't worry about it," Kenshin replied and summoned two salamanders. They shimmered across the carpet, burning away the spilled popcorn and drinks before zooming out of the room. "That was quite a gust."

"Sorry," Kaoru repeated.

"There is nothing to be sorry about; it is normal for new magical wielders to be quite astonishingly unstable the first several months. If I recall, I spent at least five months causing small fires throughout this house," Kenshin responded with a fond smile. "One time when Master was sleeping, I caught my bedroom drapes on fire. It was difficult to wake him and by the time Master arrived on the scene, the entire bedroom was in flames." He paused, then grinned, "I believe I had double sets of chores for quite some time after that."

Kaoru grinned back. The salamanders returned, this time holding a new bag of popcorn that was expanding broadly. Giggling, Kaoru reached for the bag. She had seen salamanders pop popcorn with the heat of their bodies several times but it still made her laugh. In the strange dichotomy of Kaoru's new life, Kenshin using an Elemental creature as a microwave was a perfect example of how magic and nonmagic blended together in this odd world that had become hers.

Kenshin was part of this dichotomy too. Sitting next to her on the couch, dressed in a t-shirt and sweatpants like Kaoru was, watching anime, and eating popcorn, he looked like a college student. Kaoru could almost believe that this scene was taking place somewhere in her old life, that Kenshin was a friend that she had invited over for a movie night.

Then the image was shattered as Kenshin flicked a kernel of unpopped corn at a salamander; it caught it and the kernel burst open into fluffy whiteness. "Show off," Kaoru said mock-scoffingly. Kenshin smiled, and Kaoru wiggled deeper into the comfortable couch. Things had been highly awkward with Kenshin in the beginning; there was simply no getting around it. When two people wake up naked next to each other without any recollection of the previous night's activities, a certain level of weirdness is inevitable. The fact that Kenshin was complicit in her imposed apprenticeship and was one of two people in charge of ordering her around every second of the day also added to the awkwardness factor. But a month of spending all their waking hours working together had created a growing respect between the two, and Kaoru was learning to simply not think about what had happened that night and focus on the present. Kenshin had been nothing but respectful and polite, and she was growing more and more comfortable in his presence.

However, there was no overlooking the Soul Bond between them. Kaoru had tried to ignore this at first, furious about the fact that she had unwittently joined her soul to a stranger. But there was no escaping it either. Kaoru had long since discovered that she didn't need a mirror to contact Kenshin; she just _knew_ where he was and could easily pinpoint his location. As days turned into weeks, she had also discovered that she could gague his moods rather effectively. Kenshin's exterior rarely radiated anything else but a calm serenity, but Kaoru was learning that there were many layered emotions rolling under the serene surface.

Such as now. Kenshin sat seemingly at his ease, but Kaoru was aware that something was nagging him. On a deeper level, he was troubled by something that he was trying to process. Reaching out with her _chi_, Kaoru tentatively probed his essence. She had hesitantly tried tapping into his _chi_ a few times and had been confronted with what felt like a wall gently but firmly blocking her out. His inner being was carefully guarded, and she had been unwilling to push it any further. But Kaoru was realizing that her initial blazing anger and loathing of Kenshin had slowly been replaced by respect, care, and a somewhat unsettling interest in learning more about him. Kenshin was not one who freely shared about himself, and sometimes it took some probing to make him talk.

Unconciously leaning a little towards him, Kaoru stretched out with her _chi_ towards Kenshin. _Chi_, she knew, was a separate entity from her magical abilities. They operated on many of the same principles but were different powers all together. As a martial artist, Kaoru had been training her _chi_ sense for years and she felt it move up against Kenshin's essence. As usual, she felt her _chi_ run against the mental wall Kenshin had erected around his inner being but this time, she pressed forward, feeling her _chi_ run like water along a table, searching for cracks and weak points.

_Oooh!_ Kaoru thought as Kenshin's _chi_ suddenly shifted and a pulsing energy brushed against Kaoru's gentle prodding. It tasted fiercely of heat and strength, startling her with its intensity. Blushing slightly, Kaoru began tugging her _chi_ back.

_Crash_! For the second time that evening, the popcorn bowl sailed to the floor as Kenshin twisted sharply and knocked it out of the way. For one heart-rendering moment, Kaoru thought that he was lashing out at her. She tensed in surprise as his hands seized her and effortlessly yanked her to himself, crushing her body into his own as his hot mouth found her surprised lips.

As Kenshin's tongue flicked against hers, Kaoru tasted ginger and green tea and felt his hands trail rivulets of fire up and down her back. Her hands hesitantly went for his hair, and she ran her trembling fingers through his silky red strands. Cupping her hips, Kenshin rolled her closer into his body, molding her against himself before lowering her down on the couch, pressing her back into its soft cushions. His eyes were liquid gold, and they burned with an intensity that both thrilled and terrified her.

Suddenly, Kenshin jerked backwards violently, knocking a cushion to the floor as he scrambled to his feet, breathing heavily. Confused, Kaoru looked up at him; in the tiny portion of her brain that was still able to process coherent thought, she wondered what had just transpired. _Did I do something wrong?_ she thought. _Also, am I relieved or disappointed that he stopped?_

Kenshin's hands were gripped into tight fists and he was panting as if he and Hiko had just gone head-to-head. "Kaoru...I," he started, then paused. The golden gleam was still flaming in his eyes, and he seemed to be engaged in an interesting battle of wills between hormones and logic. Finally, in a strangled voice, he said, "It is getting late. I think I will go to bed. Goodnight." Turning on his heel, he left the room, leaving behind a very confused, hurt, and furious Kaoru. _What the hell was that all about?_

The spilled popcorn on the floor twirled upwards in a mini tornado and a pile of CD's scattered across the room like leaves caught in a windstorm as Kaoru screamed "AAARRGGGGGGHHHHHH!" into a pillow. Curtains flapped violently, knocking over a few figurines as wires whipped back and forth and books fell off shelves. Kicking her feet against the couch, Kaoru let loose her anger in a magnificent fit of drama that relieved some of her temper...until she lifted her head from the pillow to see the entertainment den in shambles. "Awww, DAMMIT!"


	5. Summoning Mastered

"You're trying too hard," Kenshin said mildly. "Forcing it will only frustrate you."

"I know! I know!" Kaoru snapped back and pushed a lock of damp hair away from her eyes. Her head ached, her shoulders were screaming with tension and muscle fatigue, and her stomach pointedly reminded her that dinner had been several hours before. Hiko and Kenshin had been relentless the past few weeks, and Kaoru felt like she was running on fumes.

Despite the gusts of wind she was able to summon with a will, the elusive zephyr remained elusive. Her wind gusts occasionally shimmered in a way that made her hope a zephyr would suddenly materialize in front of her, but so far all her efforts had remained fruitless. The frustrating thing was that Kaoru had a feeling that she was so very close to mastering the Basic Summoning spell and that a corporal zephyr was just around the corner.

Suddenly, Kenshin was behind her, strong fingers massaging her shoulders in a way that was friendly and comforting. Kaoru jerked a bit in surprise; ever since their abortive makeout session a few weeks ago, Kenshin had been a trifle wary around her and things had gone back to being slightly awkward. Kaoru had done her level best to ignore the Soul Bond between them since probing it clearly unleashed issues she was more than a little nervous about confronting. Kenshin was always so restrained and controlled that Kaoru had been completely flabbergasted by his passionate, aggressive kissing attack. Not that she had _minded_ it that much, it was just that it had taken her completely by surprise. It certainly wasn't like the few awkward, sloppy kisses she had received in high school. College had been a dating desert; most underclassmen were interested in chasing after the perfect cheerleaders and trendy hipsters, not an overworked, impoverished sophomore who hit people with sticks for amusement. All told, Kaoru's kissing experience had been decidedly limited, and Kenshin's frontal assault had opened up a new realm of exciting knowledge.

_Almost makes me wonder what happened that first night_, Kaoru thought idly to herself, then reddened. _Oh hell, don't think about that now, not while Kenshin's trying to be nice and giving you an entirely friendly and non-sexual shoulder massage. Shut up, overwrought imagination, shut up, shut up, shut up. _But soon all thought melted away with the tension Kenshin was gently easing out of her taut muscles. As he kneaded away, Kaoru whole-heartedly abandoned herself to it and felt her entire body relax and melt into a happy puddle of gooeyness.

Warmth brushed against her _chi_, like a cup of hot chocolate on a wintery night and oddly it felt like something was massaging her exhausted inner being. _Mmmm_, she thought, feeling her inner self reach towards the source of comfort. It was so relaxing. Something hot but not unpleasantly so rubbed against her knee, and Kaoru looked down to find a salamander skittering up and down her leg. _Air feeds fire_, she thought to herself, looking at the salamander fondly.

Suddenly it gave a twitch of excitement and raced forward to greet a shining white object that had entered the room. Kaoru looked at it and suddenly bolted upward. "Kenshin!" she blurted out excitedly. "A zephyr!"

"Yes, indeed," Kenshin responded, clearly pleased.

The zephyr seemed intent on playing with the salamander, and Kaoru watched in excitement as the two elements twirled around each other, racing back and forth like squirrels. She had done it! Happily, she snapped her fingers and called out, "Come here, zephyr!" in a voice usually reserved to call dogs to heel.

The zephyr paid absolutely no attention to her. Kaoru tried again. "Come _here_," she said with more emphasis. The zephyr gave a shimmer of energy, then raced out of the room with the salamander.

Kenshin laughed softly at Kaoru's confused expression. "The Basic Summoning spell merely calls the element to your presence, Kaoru-dono. Commanding it to perform certain actions is entirely different. But," he said brightly, "You summoned one! That is wonderful, especially since you have only been practicing the spell for two months. If I recall, it took me nearly seven months to summon a fully corporal salamander. It is quite impressive that it has you only two months to summon your element."

Kaoru blinked her eyes. "But, but I have absolutely no idea _how_ I did it. What happened?"

Kenshin smiled, "You were relaxed and attuned to your natural magical ability. Rather than fighting it and trying to wrestle it into submission, you started working _with_ it. That is half the battle. Try again. Summon it back."

Kaoru squashed a tremor of frustration that rose up in her and tried to move back into the happy place that she had been in just a few minutes ago. _Calm, breath, relax_, she ordered herself. Slowly, she reached inward and found that ripple of magic force. _Time to come to Momma_, she chided mentally.

A cool breath of air wafted against her face, and Kaoru opened her eyes to find the zephyr frisking across her shoulders, its tiny wings beating and glossy eyes examining her with interest. "Kenshin! Kenshin, look!" she squealed and reached out her hand to touch it. The zephyr shimmered away from her and swirled over to investigate Kenshin. 

"Good God girl, you shriek like a four year old," Hiko rumbled from the doorway, his ever-present jug of sake dangling from his hand. Casting a glance at the zephyr, he sniffed. "So you managed to summon one, eh?" Kaoru beamed at him, so happy that she forgot how much Hiko's presence usually irritated her. However, she knew enough about her new master to not expect praise and Hiko did not disappoint her.

"Well, you managed to summon one in a safe, controlled environment, but that won't do you much good on a battlefield or in a magic fight, girl," Hiko frowned. "You've got a lot of work to do before you can say you have completely mastered Summoning."

Hiko was right; over the next week, both he and Kenshin took turns surprising Kaoru in various situations and demanding that she summon a zephyr. She would be in the middle of a fierce sparring match with Hiko when he would snap out, "Summon!" while trying to bash her head in with his sword or Kenshin would hand her a full plate, drop it, call out "Summon!" and wait for her to both summon the zephyr and catch the plate before it hit the ground. Once or twice, Hiko came galloping into her bedroom in the dead of night bellowing "Summon!", waking Kaoru out of a dead sleep and sending her flying across the bed in a furious scrabble for her sword. By Day Six, Kaoru was able to summon her element nearly effortlessly. She still couldn't do anything with it besides calling it to her presence, but Kenshin assured her that the next set of magical training would involve learning how to bend her element to her will.

"You are doing so well with your training," Kenshin said warmly as he and Kaoru cleaned up the kitchen. It had been a week since the zephyr first materialized and currently it was finding the air vent in the kitchen fascinating. It kept creeping up on the vent to pounce and letting the warm air blow it away in a twirl of energy. Late fall was approaching and nights were starting to become chilly, so Kenshin had turned the heat on. Kaoru was baffled as to why a Fire Master needed central heating in his house, but there were so many oddities in her new life that she had simply stopped asking a lot of questions. She also barely noticed the weather anymore – Kenshin and Hiko kept her restricted to the house and the grounds, but she was so busy with training that she hardly had any time to go outdoors.

"It's hard to believe that you've been training only two months," Kenshin continued. "It took me seven months to summon a salamander for the first time and another month before I could do so consistently. Even then it was quite some time before I could conjure up one with complete ease. However, you don't seem to need to think much about summoning anymore, you just do it, correct?"

"Yes," Kaoru replied, trying not to sound boastful. "It really isn't that hard, is it? I can't wait until I can start ordering this goofy little bird around." The zephyr clearly understood English because it abandoned the heating vent to twirl around her in what seemed very much like a protest, then flittered out of the room.

Kenshin laughed, "I don't think it likes that prospect very much."

"Too bad," Kaoru grinned as she put a serving dish back in the cupboard. Kenshin's earlier words stuck in her memory. _Two months, has it really been that long? _It seemed like both an eternity and merely a few days. As an orphan, Kaoru had no parents to worry about her and only a few friends that would miss her absence. As far as the world was concerned, Kaoru Kamiya could drop off the face of the planet without there being hue and cry for her return.

_After two months, I wonder if there's a missing person's report on me_, Kaoru wondered idly. The thought made her giggle. _You'd think after two months, I'd._...she stopped, frowning. Something was nagging her and she wrinkled her brow in puzzlement. There was something missing, something she was forgetting about. Something to do with a month. What was it?

_Oh, __no__._ Kaoru froze, one hand still gripping the cupboard handle. _Oh shit, shit, shit, not __that_. She closed her eyes and exhaled loudly.

"Kaoru?" Kenshin looked at her in concern. "Is something wrong?"

Kaoru jerked her hand away from the handle, "Nope, just a little tired. All the excitement, you know." She pasted on a bright smile. "More torture after dinner?"

"I believe we have a movie date," Kenshin smiled. "_Death Note_?"

"I'll get the popcorn. Maybe my zephyr can make some air-popped corn?" she joked, feeling her stomach churning. _Go watch anime,_ she ordered herself, _You're fine. Nothing's wrong. _But the sick feeling of dread was hard to squash, and Kaoru found herself wishing that she had an evening of hard sword practice to look forward to. Later on that night, sleep was difficult, and she tried to sooth her rattled brain by conjuring up the zephyr. It seemed to sense her distress for it curled up underneath her chin, cuddling there like a puppy until Kaoru fell into a troubled sleep.


	6. An Unexpected Development

"Good God, fool girl, did you poison yourself with your own cooking this morning?" Hiko barked. Kaoru gulped back a sudden gush of acid that had rose to her throat. It was mid-morning, and Hiko had been whomping on her for an hour with her struggling more than usual to keep up. Her limbs felt like they had been dipped in concrete, and her stomach was churning unpleasantly. That morning, the smell of bacon on the breakfast table had sent her running for the bathroom and the nausea had still not fully abated. _Probably just the flu_, she told herself firmly. Whatever it was, it had been dragging her down all morning and her sword work was showing it.

Hiko looked at her narrowly, "What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing, Master," Kaoru responded firmly. "Please continue."

Hiko snorted, "Don't lie to your master, Kaoru. Are you ill?"

"No," she responded, gritting her teeth. "Please, Master, I am ready for more training." To her dismay, Hiko sheathed his katana in a decisive sort of way.

"You wouldn't be so formal and polite if you weren't trying to pull the wool over my eyes, girl," he rumbled ominously. He waved a hand, "Come."

Reluctantly, Kaoru followed him into what Kenshin called "Master's study". It was a Japanese-themed room lined with shelf after shelf of elegant pottery. Kaoru had been surprised to find out that when Hiko wasn't yelling at one of his pupils or drinking sake, he was, of all things, in a small studio making pottery. Kaoru had absolutely no idea why he did this but she figured that even an Elemental Master needed a hobby to take the edge off, and a Fire Master was an ideal potter. Hiko didn't need a kiln; he would simply direct his salamanders to fire the newly shaped pottery into hardness. A few pieces found their way into the kitchen, but mostly Hiko simply lined the shelves in his study with his creations.

Hiko sat down cross-legged and waved his hand. "Sit," he ordered curtly. Kaoru sank slowly to her knees and watched as Hiko reached for his sake bottle and poured himself a serving. She didn't bother asking him for any; she disliked sake and Hiko had made it clear from the beginning that the contents of the sake bottle were his and his alone.

Hiko downed the sake quickly, then conjured up a salamander. It skipped over to Kaoru and began twirling around her, concentrating on her midsection for several moments before galloping back to Hiko. The salamander raced across Hiko's shoulders and down his arm before disappearing.

"Well, well," Hiko said, a note of interest in his voice. "This is surprising but not entirely unexpected."

"What?" Kaoru questioned, bile churning in her stomach.

Hiko poured himself another round. Lifting it to his lips, he said calmly. "Apparently you are pregnant."

A wave of panic and dread smashed into Kaoru with all the force of a tidal wave as a coldness settled over her body. Shivering with emotion, she barely heard Hiko's next words. "I must say, I did not think my _baka deshi_ had it in him but apparently I was mistaken. Very interesting. Well, this changes things somewhat but nothing too drastic."

Kaoru merely looked at him stupidly as he continued, "You'll have to give up your sword training, of course, until the child gets here. But that simply means we can double up your magic training. Luckily, some of that you can practice on your own which means I'll have a little more time to try to beat some sense into that idiot apprentice of mine."

Hiko took another sip of sake, "He'll have to marry you, of course. The child needs a name." Glancing at Kaoru, he said, "It's a boy, by the way." Making a humming sound, Hiko looked thoughtful. "It will be interesting to see what element he possesses. Usually this does not become apparent until the child is at least a few years ago, but with parents like you and Kenshin...well, we shall see." He sniffed, "Knowing my _baka deshi, _it is possible he fathered a child that is not even a Sensitive."

Kaoru continued to gape like a freshly landed mackerel. Hiko looked at her, "Well, _say_ something, girl. It's not like you to be silent, and it's probably too much to hope for that you're learning to control that tongue of yours."

"_Hiko_!" Kaoru burst out accusingly. Her hands were clenched into tight balls and every fiber of her being was twisted up in tension. "_This is your fault!_" she bellowed, pointing an accusatory finger at him.

"Don't be foolish, girl, it's not _my_ child," Hiko rumbled but Kaoru was so emotionally wrought that she barely registered his comment.

"_You_ did this! This is all _your_ fault, you manipulative _bastard_! This whole goddamned situation is _all your fault_!" Jolting to her feet, Kaoru forgot everything she had learned about magic and swords and seized upon one of the first rules her father had taught her: just about anything could be a weapon.

Hiko dodged easily as a flying teacup sailed towards him and crashed against the wall. "_I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU!_" Kaoru screamed as she grabbed another cup and flung it at the tall man.

* * *

Kenshin felt Kaoru's anger and distress through the Soul Bond before he heard her yells. Racing into the room with the heat of battle thrumming in his blood, he stopped in astonishment on the threshold of the door. Inside the small room, Kaoru was screaming at the top of her lungs as she snatched pieces of pottery off the shelves and launched them at Hiko. Most surprisingly, Hiko was doing nothing to stop her and was merely gracefully evading the flying pieces of his hobby.

"Kaoru!" Kenshin cried out, and Kaoru stopped, one hand poised like a baseball pitcher about to lob a fastball. Her blazing eyes scorched Kenshin from head to toe as she threw the teapot in her hand at him. "I HATE YOU TOO!" she screamed before dissolving into tears and running out of the room.

Stunned, Kenshin stood in the middle of the room, surveying his master with a confused eye. Hiko bent down to pick up a piece of the teapot Kaoru had thrown at Kenshin; it had hit a wall and shattered. "Pity, this was one of my favorite ones," he said in a matter-of-fact voice. "Oh well, a genius like me can certainly make new ones. And it seems that I might be having a little more spare time on my hands."

Kenshin's eyes went wide and he rushed out, "Master, you're not..."

"Sit down, boy," Hiko rumbled. "And stop panicking. I'm not throwing the girl out, although I should after that temper tantrum. But I suppose the shock will wear off in time."

"Shock?" Kenshin repeated, sinking to his knees. Hiko snapped his fingers and a herd of salamanders appeared. At his command, they galloped around the room, incinerating the broken pieces of pottery so that nothing remained but a bit of dust.

Hiko produced the sake bottle and reached for another serving dish. Pouring out two servings, he handed one to Kenshin. Bewildered, Kenshin took it, wondering what could have possibly induced his master to offer him sake. In living memory, Kenshin and Hiko had never shared a drink together.

Lifting his dish in a salute, Hiko said, "I believe congratulations are in order. You're going to be a father."

The dish tilted and Kenshin dribbled sake over his lap. His mouth gaped open. "_Oro_?"

"Careful, _baka_, that is good sake! Show it the respect it deserves," Hiko frowned. Irritably, he leaned forward to snatch the empty dish from Kenshin's hand and refill it. Handing it back, he ordered. "Drink it this time, don't wear it. From the looks of things, you'll need it."

Kenshin obediently placed the dish to his lips and drained it. It slid down his throat untasted. His brain, having received the news, had overheated, short-circuited, crashed, and was slowly rebooting. Dimly, he heard his master continue to speak.

"Well, this will interrupt training some, but this means there will be less training for her and more for you. You've been slacking as of late, too much focused on her learning than your own. That stops today." Hiko poured another drink and looked at his apprentice. "_What_?" he said irritably. "Snap out of it, boy."

"But, but, I, we, it was only once!" Kenshin squeaked.

"Once is all it takes, so I'm told," Hiko responded. "Although," he sniggered, "It must have been a very _thorough_ once from the evidence provided."

Kenshin felt himself reddening exponentially. "Master!" he blustered.

"Oh, simmer down, boy," Hiko snorted. "You're going to be a father, so you might as well get used to the idea."

"But Master, I," Kenshin stopped, realization dawning on him. "I've been a wanderer for the past ten years! I have _nothing_ to offer a family, no house, no savings, nothing!"

"Oh that," Hiko said dismissively, "Don't be a fool boy, there are 42 rooms in this house and I certainly don't need them all. You have a roof over your head for the three of you as long as you need it. Although," he frowned, "the baby's room will be far from my own, you understand. I am not going to be woken up in the dead of night by a squalling brat, especially if it has lungs like its mother. As for money, well, fool boy, who do you think is inheriting all this when I am gone? You're not my apprentice for nothing, you know."

"But..." Kenshin literally could not process anything more at this point. Hiko merely turned his attention to the sake bottle and ignored his still-stunned apprentice.

After a few minutes, Hiko grunted, "Are you going to keep gaping at me, _baka deshi,_ or are you going to go find Kaoru? I'm not privy to the innermost workings of the female mind, but I have a hunch that once one finds that she is pregnant, she rather appreciates some comfort from the father. We'll get back to training after lunch."

Nodding numbly, Kenshin stumbled to his feet.

* * *

The clearly-distressed zephyr kept twirling around Kaoru's head, bouncing anxiously on the pillow and flapping its wings in an agitated manner. Kaoru, her face buried in her pillow, was too consumed with sobbing her eyes out to notice. She had been furious, scared, and ashamed two months ago when she had been woken up by a screaming redhead and realized that she had inadvertently slept with him. This, however, was much, much worse. _I'm __pregnant__. Oh, God, what am I gonna do?_ she thought miserably.

Raising her head, Kaoru sniffed loudly as the zephyr hovered in front of her face, its glossy eyes peering anxiously at her. She tried a smile of reassurance, but it died before it reached her lips. With a sinking feeling, she envisioned telling Kenshin that he was soon to be a father, and cringed. And things had been going so well between them lately, too.

Rolling over on her back, Kaoru stared blankly at the ceiling. The worried zephyr perched on her forehead and began beating its wings at her face. A slight breeze dried the moisture on her cheeks and the tear-soaked pillow under her head.

A firm knock on the door startled her. "Kaoru?" Kenshin's voice called out as he pulled the door open. As he strode towards her, Kaoru's stomach clenched as she saw the glimmer of gold in his eyes. Over the past two months, Kaoru had come to realize that Kenshin's personality seemed to switch between two separate entities that she had taken to calling Nice Kenshin and Scary Kenshin. Nice Kenshin was the one she was accustomed to, the scrupulously polite, modest, and perfectly controlled gentleman whom Kaoru felt comfortably safe with. However, at times, Kenshin's normally violet eyes flashed into amber, signaling that Scary Kenshin was taking over. It had been Scary Kenshin who had hauled her into his lap for a thorough kissing, had woken her up that first morning with his fierce bellows, who sometimes seized control when Hiko was attacking him with a sword. Scary Kenshin was certainly more exciting and intriguing than Nice Kenshin, but Nice Kenshin was a lot more, well, safer. At that moment in time, Kaoru was wishing for Nice Kenshin, but from the swirl of amber in his eyes, it was clear that Scary Kenshin was approaching her bed. _Oh damn_, she thought frantically, _He's so not happy right now. _Not that she was worried either Kenshin would hurt her, but...

"Move over, Kaoru," Kenshin rumbled in a command that was edged with kindness. Kaoru scooted back some, shrinking away from him, but Kenshin moved forwards to scoop her into his arms and lie down next to her. Smoothing her hair back from her forehead, Kenshin firmly tucked Kaoru's head under his chin and wrapped his arms around her. Kaoru felt the brush of his _chi_ against hers, pushing forward gently as warmth flooded her. The smell of ginger tickled her nostrils, and Kenshin's body heat was comforting against her cold form. Resting her head on Kenshin's shoulder, Kaoru felt the tears start up again as sobs shook her.

"Shhhhh, Kaoru-chan," Kenshin chided, stroking her back soothingly as Kaoru trembled against him. He could feel her anguish and confusion through the Soul Bond and he tried to ease it. She was too distraught to put up any sort of resistance to his invading _chi_, and he took advantage of it, reaching deeply inside her to feed her calming energy and peace. As he held her, he felt her tremblings gradually cease and her head droop heavily on his shoulder. Soon, she had fallen into a deep sleep. Moving slowly, he eased himself away from her and tucked the covers firmly around her body. "Keep watch over her," he ordered the zephyr. Even though Kenshin was not its master, the element settled itself on Kaoru's shoulder with a purposeful look about it. Kenshin dimmed the lights and left the room, quietly closing the door behind him.

* * *

"Wake up, girl," Hiko's voice rumbled from the mirror. Kaoru yawned and lifted her aching head up from the pillow. She felt muzzy with sleep and worn out from crying, plus she was fiercely thirsty. Recognizing the voice of her master, she pulled a pillow over her head and rolled over.

"Get up, I know you're awake," Hiko's rumble increased in volume. "Pull yourself together and come to my study." Too emotionally drained to protest, Kaoru pushed the pillow aside and stumbled numbly into the bathroom. Mechanically she washed her face, smoothed her hair, and rearranged her clothing, then woodenly made her way to Hiko's study. The windows she passed showed that it was early evening, and rosy streaks of sunset were beginning to light up the sky. Despite the several hours of sleep she had gotten, Kaoru was still so exhausted that putting one foot in front of the other was an effort.

Hiko was inside the study surrounded by a few empty sake bottles. The pottery-lined shelves bore many conspicuous gaps, but Kaoru ignored them and sat down on the floor. To her surprise, a tray of hot tea and food was waiting for her.

"Eat," Hiko commanded. Kaoru looked blearily at the tray. "You both need it," her master admonished.

Too tired to argue, Kaoru lifted her fork and obeyed. Kenshin's normally excellent cooking tasted like cardboard but then again, her taste buds had been off for a couple weeks. _At least now I know why_, she thought numbly.

Hiko said nothing while she ate; he simply observed her with a critical eye and drained dish after dish of sake. From the looks of things, he had been at the bottle for quite some time. When Kaoru lifted the tea cup to her lips and made a face at the astringent taste of the liquid inside, Hiko rumbled, "Finish it. It's good medicine for you and the child." Gagging slightly, Kaoru managed to finish the cup but to her dismay, Hiko commanded, "There's more in the pot. Drink it all." Grudgingly, she poured another cup and settled back to imbibe it in several reluctant sips.

"That's better," Hiko grunted. The sake seemed to have relaxed him somewhat. He was sitting comfortably, elbows perched on his knees. Kaoru held the cup, grateful for the warmth between her fingers, and waited for him to speak. Surely, her master hadn't called her to his study just to feed her dinner.

Silence fell over the study, and Kaoru was grateful for it. The hot food and drink had done their work, and Kaoru felt exhaustion tugging at her eyelids, lulling her into sleep. She had slept sitting up before and was about to do so again when Hiko broke the silence.

"I know this hasn't been easy on you," he started, making Kaoru jump slightly. "You've been put in a rather tough spot but have borne up under it rather well." Kaoru stared at him suspiciously. It was very unlike Hiko to offer any sort of praise. But then again, the sake bottles on the floor might have had something to do with his current state. He seemed to be in a relaxed mood, and Kaoru was slightly curious to see what her master was like under the influence of alcohol.

Pouring himself another drink, Hiko continued, "With your magical ability, you couldn't have escaped a fate like this forever, you know. Eventually another Elemental Master would have snatched you up. Lucky for you, it was me. And lucky for you, Kenshin was your Soul Bond. It could have been a lot worse."

Kaoru nodded numbly. She didn't know what else to do.

Knocking back another drink, Hiko stared into space, then his voice softened, the normal harshness and sarcasm curiously absent. "Good for Kenshin, too, that you were here. You've been good for my idiot pupil, you know. He needed you." Hiko's eyes turned to Kaoru. "He's told you, I assume, about his past."

Kaoru nodded again and Hiko frowned. "The idiot. Honest to a fault, isn't he? Well, it's for the best, I supposed, good that you knew what you were getting into." Hiko had another drink and another thoughtful stare into space. Finally he spoke in a tone that bordered on fondness, "You should have seen him when he was younger. He was much like you, all bright _chi_ and potential and zeal. His eyes were clear with a purity and his soul was unstained."

Hiko made a brusk gesture and accidentally knocked over an empty sake bottle. Ignoring it, he continued, "Then the great fool got a bee in his bonnet about trying to right wrong, overcome evil, and all that nonsense. Typical impetuous youth. I let him go. I shouldn't have, but then again, you can't teach someone who refuses to learn anymore. So off he went, raised a big stink, caused a tremendous amount of death and chaos, and then finally comes to his senses and comes crawling back here." Hiko stifled a hiccup and poured more sake.

Continuing, he said with a note of sorrow in his voice, "I hadn't seen him in over a dozen years and when he came back, he was like a completely different person. That bright spirit and unstained soul weren't there anymore, and you could tell he hated himself and what he had done. There wasn't much keeping him going except for a determination to try to do _something_ right to make up for all the damage he had caused."

Hiko waved the empty dish at her, "That's where you came in. When you first got my attention about a year or so ago, I thought about taking you on as my new apprentice, but something told me to hold back. I suppose I've never given up all hope that my prodigal apprentice would come crawling back and I had a sense that he'd need you. Turns out I was right," Hiko smirked.

Kaoru's lips twitched as she looked at Hiko. He waved the dish again, "That's right. With you in the house, Soul Bonded to him, with you to teach, all that helped my wayward apprentice. He had a new purpose for living, something to cling to. The Soul Bond opened up more powers for him, gave him new potential and possibilities, and he began seeing how he could face himself in the mirror every morning."

"And now, this, a child on the way," Hiko hiccuped again. "Best thing that could happen to Kenshin, aside from a bokken to that thick skull of his. Gives him something more to cling to, something else to believe in and gives him one more reason to live. So don't you worry," he poured yet another round of sake as Kaoru wondered how he could possibly be upright and conscious. "It'll all be fine. Kenshin will finish his training, you'll make Air Master eventually, and you'll pick up sword training again once the child's here and you're back on your feet. The child will be a strong Elemental Master, no doubt about that." Hiko sipped from the dish and settled back, closing his eyes. Kaoru wondered if he had fallen asleep.

After a few minutes, the Elemental Master's glance fell upon his apprentice and his eyebrows raised in surprise. "You still here? It's late, get to bed. You've got a child to think of now, you numbskull. Don't go exhausting yourself."

Kaoru stumbled to her feet and bowed her way out of the study on wooden legs. She was emotionally drained, physically spent, but her mind was less troubled. Summoning a zephyr, she felt comforted as it fluttered up to perch on her shoulder where it stayed as she fell into bed and immediately into a deep, dreamless sleep.


	7. Bridal Glower

**Author's note: More background information, some new magic users enter the picture, and some definite lime rounds things off nicely. Enjoy and thanks for all the awesome reviews! **

A brilliant shaft of late morning sun poked through the curtains and found Kaoru's closed eyes. Still half-asleep, she moved her head and resettled back onto the pillow when her brain woke up and began screaming all sorts of commands at her. In the flurry of movement, Kaoru bolted out of bed so fast her feet tangled up in the covers. _Late, late, late, I am so late, Master is going to KILL me!_ she thought frantically, then stopped, _Wait, why didn't he call me...oh __shit__, that's why_. She gulped and felt her stomach churn as memories from yesterday came galloping to her consciousness.

Sinking back on the bed, Kaoru covered her face in her hands. _Crap, crap, crap, crap, crap. I'm __pregnant_. It seemed completely unreal, and she was desperately hoping that Hiko had simply been very wrong, but pregnancy was the simplest explanation for the weird body issues that had troubled her the past couple weeks: the odd tenderness in her breasts, the missed period, the metallic taste in her mouth, and the morning nausea. She thought briefly about begging Hiko to buy her a pregnancy test, but she realized that it would probably be a waste of money: her body was being clear about her current state, and she trusted the diagnosis of Hiko's salamanders. Like it or not, Kaoru was going to be a mother.

_Kenshin_. Thinking of him, she shivered in nervousness. Kenshin had been kind yesterday but he was always kind. _He's probably mad as hell right now_, she thought uncomfortably, not that she blamed him. Having a Soul Bond thrust upon him, then an impending fatherhood would be enough to make even the most even-tempered man upset. Wrapping her robe around herself, Kaoru thought briefly about simply hiding in her room and hoping that the floor under her feet would spontaneously cave in, sparing Kenshin the hassle, but she knew that she had to face the truth and handle it like a true samurai. Rising to her feet, she moved towards her bedroom door and opened it.

"Good morning, Kaoru," a quiet voice greeted her, startling her greatly. Kaoru had been so consumed with her own worries that she was completely unaware of her _chi_ sense and had not even thought about the Soul Bond so therefore was completely astonished to find Kenshin seated on a chair in her sitting room.

"You must be hungry, you hardly ate anything yesterday. Please sit down." The table contained dishes and plates but Kaoru was surprised to find that instead of the normal hearty fare of bacon, eggs, and toast, the table was full of lighter items like yogurt, cereal, and fruit. Sitting down awkwardly, Kaoru thought briefly about how Kenshin was always so good at predicting her needs and quietly fulfilling them. He had somehow guessed that her stomach currently couldn't handle grease and high protein first thing in the morning and had made adjustments to what he normally prepared for breakfast.

Kaoru was surprised to find herself hungry, and the cereal and yogurt looked good. Kenshin reached for an orange and began peeling it, but Kaoru sensed that he was eating more out of solidarity and a need to do something with his hands than genuine hunger. She was grateful for spoons and bowls to occupy her attention and was too embarrassed and uncomfortable to meet Kenshin's eyes.

An awkward silence, screaming loudly of what was not being said, descended upon the room. After several centuries-long minutes, Kenshin finally cleared his throat and began hesitantly, "Are you feeling well this morning?"

Kaoru sighed. The yogurt suddenly didn't taste that good anymore. "Physically, fine. Emotionally, not so much so."

"I can appreciate that," Kenshin said, shredding the orange peel into tiny fragments. Silence descended again as Kenshin seemed to be formulating what he was going to say. Finally he continued, "I know this is extraordinarily difficult for you, but I want to assure you that you have no need to worry about anything. Everything you and the baby need will be provided."

Kaoru nodded. The kindness in his voice gave her a measure of courage, and she finally lifted her head to look him in the eyes. "Thank you," she responded softly, then dropped her eyes again. "I'm sorry, Kenshin," she whispered as the yogurt churned unpleasantly in her stomach.

"Kaoru, _none_ of this was your fault, you have absolutely _nothing_ to be sorry about," Kenshin replied firmly but gently. "I am the one who is at fault, it is my child after all."

"Stop blaming yourself again," Kaoru sighed. "It happened. Now we have to decide what to do next."

"Yes, you're right," Kenshin responded. He bit his lip and felt a sudden knot of fear and nervousness rising up in him. "Kaoru, I..." he stopped, then berated himself. His brain was formulated a suitably honorable and gentle request when his mouth, impatient with the delay blurted out an abrupt, "We should get married," as the rest of him looked on in horror.

Judging from the stunned look on Kaoru's face, Kenshin realized instantly that he had delivered what was showing promise as a candidate for World's Worst Proposal. Marshaling his mental forces, he began casting about frantically for a retraction and resubmission when Kaoru beat him to the punch.

"Did Master tell you to say that?" she asked tightly. She was leaning back in her chair as if trying to put as much distance between Kenshin and herself as possible.

With an abrupt gesture, Kenshin rose to his feet and began pacing the room. Kaoru watched him warily. She had never seen Kenshin in such an agitated mood before, and she did not need the Soul Bond to tell her that he was deeply conflicted. After a few paces, he stopped and turned to her, a glint of amber in his eyes. She saw the conflict and emotion swirling in them and uncomfortably shifted her eyes away from him, but Kenshin was not dissuaded.

"No, Kaoru, Master did not tell me to marry you but yes he probably will and yes, I agree with him," Kenshin stated firmly, his _chi_ beginning to burn with energy. He came to stand in front of her, and the heat rushing off him made her cringe slightly. "You are carrying my child and it is only right that I do the honorable thing and make you my wife so that the child may have a name. But that is _not_ the only reason I am asking," Kenshin said emphatically, almost heatedly. "It would not take an unexpected pregnancy or a forced Soul Bond to make me want you as my wife, Kaoru." The last sentence was delivered with a soft quietness that Kaoru did not expect. She also did not expect Kenshin to kneel in front of her and take one of her hands in his.

"Kaoru," he said in the same tender tones he had crooned to her yesterday as she sobbed in his arms. "We were thrown together unexpectedly and the situation has not been as I would have wished it, but I need no Elemental magic or meddling Masters to see that you are brave and kind and lovely. You have been thrust in a highly trying situation and have borne up under it magnificently. I would be most honored to call you my wife if you will have me."

Kaoru said nothing for a moment, merely looked down at Kenshin's hand encircling hers. His callused palm felt comforting, and the warmth of his body made a flutter of happiness creep up in her stomach. It wasn't the proposal of her dreams but she realized slowly that as long as Kenshin's hand was holding hers, there was nothing she couldn't face.

Looking shyly at him, Kaoru squeezed his hand back and said, "I will" as a soft smile crept across her face.

* * *

Dying light from the setting sun glimmered off the ring as Kaoru turned her hand in front of her face to admire it one more time. It was a silver band with a marquis-cut sapphire between two small square diamonds. Stealing a look at her husband of exactly twenty-two minutes, Kaoru's eyes dropped to the silver ring on his hand which bore an intricate salamander etched into it. Hiko had presented it to Kenshin, muttering something about it having been passed down from his former master, and it made a fine wedding ring. _I'm married to Kenshin, _Kaoruthought, and a happy twirl of energy danced around in her belly. In three months, she had gone from a broke, very-much-unaware-of-magic college student to a pregnant, married Elemental apprentice. This trip to the courthouse for a small civil marriage had been the first time she had left Hiko's property since she entered it, and Kaoru was stunned with the realization of how dramatically she had changed in three months. The outside world, once so familiar, with its coffee shops, fashion magazines, career paths, billboards, and politicians now seemed mundane, trivial, and narrow. While once magic, masters, and swords would have seemed like something out of a book, Kaoru now realized that what she had encountered inside Hiko's house had been the true reality, something that the hordes of people she was passing had no inkling of.

No less real and solid was Kenshin, seated behind the wheel of Hiko's Lexus RX11 with designer shades perched on his nose and impeccably turned out in charcoal gray slacks, a white button-up, and highly polished black shoes. No one on the street would have marked him as anything more than some wealthy young entrepreneur or possibly a lucky guy cashing in his inheritance early, certainly not an Elemental Master who spent his days surrounded by katanas and salamanders. Kaoru giggled to think of how many times she had seen Kenshin in his ratty pink gi and tattered hakama while elbow-deep in laundry, emerging from the dojo smelling heavily of smoke, or being ridiculed by Hiko.

At her giggle, Kenshin looked over and smiled. He reached out to take her hand and began running his thumb over the back of it. Kaoru squeezed his hand fondly. It was richly ironic to think of their first meeting and how much she had thoroughly detested him in the beginning. But he had won her over with his kindness, courtesy, and respect along with the care he took over her needs. Much as it irritated her that she could never get one up on him, Kaoru had to admit that she did secretly appreciate the way Kenshin quietly took care of everything, from packing up the contents of her dorm room to making sure that her bathroom was always stocked with her favorite jasmine-scented shower gel. The day before the courthouse wedding, Kaoru had returned to her room to find a stunning blue velvet dress and matching shoes waiting for her. Everything fit perfectly, even allowing for the small rounding of her midsection.

Kaoru slid her free hand over her stomach. Normally flat, it was developing a soft curve that didn't quite yet qualify as a "baby bump" but was getting there nicely. In the past month, she had gradually grown accustomed to the idea of being pregnant and had, at certain times, felt a little flutter of excitement. In fact, once or twice she caught herself staring in the mirror, wondering if she looked pregnant yet.

Not that there had been much time for self-reflection: she was still an apprentice, and Hiko had plenty of work for her. He had taken away her katana but doubled-up on her magic training, and her primary focus had been on learning how to bring her zephyr to heel. It was a battle of wills because the zephyr was more interested in playing and flitting around than it was being useful, and unless it sensed that Kaoru was distressed or upset, it showed a remarkable disinclination to being obedient.

"This one is your primary element, girl, and it will be the first one that materializes when you summon one, so you need to get it under your control," Hiko had said. "Once you start summoning more than one element, you'll have to break in each new one and then be able to maintain control of each one. If they're all doing the same activity, that's not too difficult but the fun starts when you have multiple elements all doing different things and you have to maintain mind control of them all. That is one reason why typically only Masters deal with multiple elements and some Masters prefer working with just one element at a time unless absolutely necessary." Hiko gave a great sniff as if to express his disdain for Masters like that. However, Kaoru grudgingly had to admit that Hiko deserved the disdainful sniff: he could conjure up dozens of salamanders and set them to multiple tasks, and he did this regularly. Kaoru's mind spun when she thought about being able to do that herself; her one zephyr gave her enough trouble as it was.

Kenshin did not quite have the ability to summon multiple salamanders for diverse activities that Hiko did, and Kaoru knew that this was one of the things he needed to master as part of his final training. With Kaoru temporarily off sword training, Hiko had turned much of his attention to Kenshin and was relentless with both the sword and magic. Through the Soul Bond, Kaoru knew when Kenshin was exhausted, despite his best efforts to hide it, and it was happening more and more. Even today, the day of their wedding, Hiko had set Kaoru some magic spells to practice before ordering Kenshin to the dojo for an intense sparring session. However, he had let them go eventually to make their appointment with the judge for a quick courthouse wedding.

Kenshin seemed to be thinking along the same lines for his voice suddenly interrupted the silence. Smoothing his thumb across the back of her hand, he said in a somewhat sad tone, "It shouldn't have been like this."

"What?" Kaoru questioned, puzzled.

Kenshin smiled wryly. "We should have had a proper church wedding with tulle and bridesmaids and a flower girl with a basket of rose petals. You deserved a white dress and a fancy cake, and I cannot give that to you now. I'm sorry."

Kaoru shifted uncomfortably, "Well, you deserved a wife that you picked out and asked to marry freely. I'm sorry about that." A knot of worry was suddenly cold in the bottom of her stomach.

"_Kaoru_," Kenshin said emphatically but warmly. "Nothing, absolutely _nothing_ of that was your fault. I...I admit that the circumstance that brought us together were...less than ideal, but nevertheless they brought us together and I am very happy for that." Lifting her hand to his lips, he continued, "I am most honored to be your husband."

"Me, too, I mean, um, I'm honored to be your wife too," Kaoru blushed. Kenshin kept a hold on her hand as he drove through rush hour traffic. It was just past five, and the streets were full of commuters wearily trudging home. Kaoru was so busy ruminating on the new changes her life had developed that she wasn't really paying attention to her surroundings and it was a surprise when she realized that the car was heading in the wrong direction. "Kenshin, this isn't the way home," she said, puzzled.

Kenshin smiled mysteriously. "I know," he replied and said nothing more. A few minutes later, the Lexus pulled into the parking lot of Grissanti's, the most upscale, elegant restaurant in town. Kaoru gave a happy gasp of excitement; dinner at Grissanti's was the Holy Grail of dates for the ladies of town. In Kaoru's former life as a college student, any girl who landed herself an evening at Grissanti's was deeply envied. As down-to-earth and practical as Kaoru prided herself on being, she had secretly hoped that some day, someone with enough love for her and sufficient money to not beggar himself in the process would take her there.

Inside the candlelit interior, live piano music played softly to the chink of silverware on fine china and the quiet rumble of conversation, all which was instantly drowned out by a terrific screech. "KAAOORUU!" a voice yelled as minuscule ball of energy draped in a tiny black dress attacked her.

Kaoru's vision was suddenly cut off as a thick mane of black hair whipped in her face and the small young woman squeezed her ferociously. "OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD, KAORU, WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN? I'VE BEEN GOING CRAZY WITH WORRY, AOSHI AND I HAVE BEEN LOOKING ALL OVER FOR YOU AND WE..."

"Are quite relieved to find you safe and sound," a quiet but powerful voice interrupted the shrieking one. A tall man with hooded eyes appeared at the side of the woman and placed a hand on her shoulder. He didn't have to lift his hand up very far to do so.

Kaoru tried to get her breath back, hoping her lungs would return to their proper size. "Hi Misao, it's so good to see you too. I..."

"Good to see me?" Misao repeated incredulously, bouncing up and down on her heels and looking at Kaoru suspiciously. "Is that all you have to say after just _disappearing_ for three months? Oh my God, I didn't know what had happened to you, people just said that you had withdrawn from college and nobody knew where you were and that's not like you to do something like that, not as responsible as you are and, oh my God, is that a ring?" Misao clapped her hands over her mouth as her eyes flashed to Kenshin who was standing with one arm curled around Kaoru protectively. "And a ring on you too? Don't tell me you ran off to get married, did you Kaoru? You did, didn't you? Oh Kaoru, I can't..."

"Perhaps this conversation should be continued at a private table," the man at Misao's side interrupted her gunshot-like speech. Looking at Kenshin levelly, he intoned quietly, "Don't you agree, _Fire Master_?"

"I do, _Water Master_," Kenshin responded pointedly. Energy crackled in the air as the two men stared at each other, eyes narrowing.

Misao broke the tension by bouncing forward. "Kaoru, you remember Aoshi, right? Kaoru Kamiya, although, sorry, it's probably not Kamiya anymore, Aoshi Shinomori. And...sorry, I don't know your name," she gestured to Kenshin.

"Kenshin Himura," Kenshin repeated, bowing slightly at the waist. Aoshi returned the bow, and Kaoru got a sudden impression that it was not two men meeting for the first time but two Sword Masters bowing before a death duel. There was something about the tall stranger that screamed "Sword!" and from the look on Kenshin's face, he felt it too. _Dual Masters, the both of them_, she thought with a shiver.

Misao nodded to Kenshin "And I'm Misao Makimachi. Oh, I can't believe we ran into you guys! You _have_ to join us for dinner! Kaoru, I'm not going to let you run away again!" Misao pounced on the maître d' and soon the party of four found themselves seated in a small enclave secluded from the rest of the restaurant by a thick curtain. Two waiters bustled up, proffering menus and waxing poetic about the specials of the day. When the initial fuss was over, Misao turned to Kaoru and said, "Come with me to the bathroom, okay? You know us women, we gotta go in pairs."

Leaving the Masters to glower at each other over the table, the two women threaded their way through the tables and into the elegant bathroom. Misao held up a cautious finger until a quick investigation signaled that they were alone.

"Oh my God, I am so glad I found you!" she burst out breathlessly at Kaoru smiled at the one real friend she had made in college. Misao had been one of the few people Kaoru knew would be worried about her after her disappearance, and it had pained her that she couldn't contact Misao to explain.

Misao clasped Kaoru's shoulders and turned her back and forth, examining the taller girl carefully; despite her diminutive size, Misao was quite strong, and her eyes were like the daggers she used to keep tucked in her backpack. "So I imagine it's a kinda long story," she said insightfully.

Kaoru sighed, "Yes, it is."

"Okay, so just answer me this: are you happy?" Hands on her hips, Misao glared at her. "Cause if that ginger idiot out there has hurt you, Aoshi and I will take him down for you, I swear..."

Kaoru laughed, tiredness suddenly settling over her. "Oh, not, Kenshin..Kenshin's, well, _wonderful_. He's kind and has been so good to me. He gave me this," Kaoru held up her hand to exhibit her ring, and Misao's eyes went wide. "It's just, well, a _lot_ has happened lately."

"Like realizing your Elemental powers?" Misao questioned and gave a happy little jig. "I _knew_ there was something about you, knew it all along, but I just couldn't put my finger on it. Even Aoshi thought so that one time he met you. He told me to keep an eye on you and when you disappeared under my nose, I totally flipped out, thinking you had been snatched up by some evil Master and..."

"Well, you're not that far off," Kaoru said darkly, thinking of Hiko. Misao's expression blackened, and Kaoru hastened to finish her thought, "I mean, he's a tough bastard but he's a good Master and is teaching me magic and the sword. He and Kenshin spend their days kicking me around, but I'm learning. Master Hiko says I'll make Air Master one of these days."

"Lucky!" Misao gave a squeal and bounced up. "My master thought I'd make Earth Master but after years and years of training, she realized that Mage was the highest I was gonna to get, so I'm just a Mage." Seeing Kaoru's blank expression, she repeated, "Mage. As in 'one step below Master'." Kaoru still looked blank.

"Yeesh, what are they teaching you?" Misao scoffed. "Look, there are different levels of magical possession. At the base are Sensitives: they can sense magic, feel it in them and observe it in others but can't really use it. Next are Mages; they have magical powers and can summon an element but they don't have the full potential of Masters. Masters, well, you know what Masters are. Seriously, your Master didn't cover this?"

Kaoru shook her head and Misao made a face. "Basic level stuff. Also, you have the odd Ward; they're people who can see magic, but it doesn't affect them. Megumi's husband, he's a Ward if I ever saw one. Kenshin could hurl a thousand salamanders at him, and Sano wouldn't get the slightest bit warmer. Wards are pretty rare, Sano is the only Ward I've ever met, you remember Megumi, right?"

Kaoru nodded, trying not to wrinkle her nose. She had met the elegant, rather disdainful doctor a few times during Girls' Night with Misao, and she hadn't exactly liked her: a little too snooty for Kaoru's tastes.

"Well, anyway, Megumi's a Mage too and she's my Complement like Aoshi...oh come on, they didn't tell you about _that_ either_?_" Misao huffed as Kaoru's blank expression put in a fresh appearance. "Okay, okay, here's how it goes," Misao responded as she pranced over to collapse on an elegant velvet settee in the corner of the bathroom. "Each Element has a Complement, a Neutral, and an Antithesis Element. You're Kenshin's Complement Element because air feeds fire. However, Aoshi is his Antithesis because water drowns fire. I'm his Neutral because fire and earth can be both a good and a bad mix. Fire can scorch earth but a really good fire can actually be good for soil, so they cancel each other out. See how it works?"

Kaoru digested this, "So, Kenshin is my Complement?" Misao nodded. "Um, is Aoshi my Antithesis?"

Misao grinned, "Actually I am. Air causes a lot of soil erosion and damage, so, sorry pardner but we are natural enemies. Here, call your Element." Kaoru summoned up her zephyr and turned to find a small, wrinkled creature with an impish expression sitting on Misao's shoulder.

"What's that?" Kaoru questioned.

"My element. A gnome." At the sight of the gnome, the zephyr began flapping its wings in an agitated manner, its beak opening in a hiss. The gnome stuck its tongue out at the zephyr.

"Okay, simmer down, boys," Misao admonished the squabbling elements, then dismissed hers with a snap of her fingers. "They'll fight like that at first, but eventually we can get them to behave better. But they'll never work well together naturally since I'm your Antithesis. But don't worry," Misao smiled. "I'm your friend no matter what your element is. However," she cocked her head, "Our men are a different story. We'd better get back to them before they erupt into an all-out Elemental Master battle over the canapes."

Kenshin and Aoshi were trading glowering expressions when their women made their way back to the table, and the air was icy with tension. Bread and wine had arrived, but it lay untouched on the table. Kaoru slid into her seat and felt Kenshin's hand grasp hers firmly as his other arm curled proprietorially around her shoulder.

Misao snuggled comfortably under Aoshi's arm as the man said quietly, "So, I understand you are newly married, Mrs. Himura. Congratulations." Kaoru jumped at the sound of her new name and mentally digested it. _Mrs. Himura! _She nodded and observed the tall man carefully. Misao had only been dating him a few weeks before Kaoru found herself shanghaied and Soul Bonded to Kenshin, and she had met Aoshi only once. According to Misao, his work required a lot of traveling, and it had been a business trip that had brought him to town and across Misao's path. Casting back in her memory, Kaoru recalled that the man's dark eyes had pierced her during their first meeting as if he suspected her of harboring some secret. Recalling Misao's words, Kaoru wondered how it was possible she could have gone so long without suspecting her innate magical ability, not when others were able to see it through Hiko's cloaking.

Without really thinking about it, Kaoru tapped into the Soul Bond between her and Kenshin and was surprised to discover that her new husband was worried about something. He hadn't been before they entered the restaurant, she was sure of it, but something had happened while she and Misao were in the bathroom that was deeply troubling him. Intrigued, Kaoru pushed forward, determined to root out the cause of his distress. Kenshin's _chi_ shifted and to her astonishment, Kaoru found herself being gently but firmly blocked off. It had been weeks since he had put up any sort of resistance to the Soul Bond, and she stubbornly shoved against it. However, she could gain no foothold and found herself effectively walled out.

Irritated, Kaoru shot a glance at her husband but he was the picture of serenity. _Why won't you let me in?_ she thought. _What are you hiding from me? _

Kenshin merely smiled at her and moved his hand to her knee. _Hey, no fair!_ Kaoru thought as clever fingers slipped under the hem of her knee-length dress and began massaging the inside of her thigh, sending rivers of fire shivering up her leg. _Dammit Kenshin, stop trying to distract me! _

Flustered, Kaoru blushed then blushed again as Misao caught a glimpse of her reddened face and winked at her. Kenshin's fingers were tracing intricate patterns on her leg that were doing a remarkable job of wiping all thought from her mind. Furious, she snatched his hand out from under her dress and wrapped her fingers around it, digging her nails in to let him know that she meant business. Kenshin's smile was bordering on a Hiko-like smirk, but he complied and let her keep his hand imprisoned.

Luckily, the waiter arrived to take their orders and the rest of the meal progressed normally as if magic, conjured elements, and Soul Bonds did not exist. Misao kept up a fluid stream of chatter and did a remarkable job of engaging everyone at the table. She had Kaoru in stitches with reports of their least-favorite professor at college and was so lively and bright that Kaoru swore she saw Aoshi smile, a small one but a smile nevertheless. The food was excellent and Kaoru found herself relaxing, although not enough to let go of Kenshin's hand: she no longer trusted it to behave like a gentleman where her dress was concerned.

Misao bid farewell to Kaoru in a flurry of air kisses and lung-crushing hugs, demanding to know when they would meet next, and she would not let Kaoru go until Kenshin promised that he would beg some freedom for Kaoru from their master so that the two women could spend some time together. Aoshi exchanged meaningful looks with Kenshin and rumbled, "Be mindful of the air, Fire Master," before giving a slight bow and tucking Misao's arm in his as the two walked away.

"_Be mindful of the air." I wonder what that means, _Kaoru thought to herself as she fastened her seat belt around her while Kenshin started the Lexus. Staring out the window into the black night, Kaoru meditated on the events of the day. It seemed like every day brought with it a truckload of new information, strange phenomena, and illogical situations, and her brain was learning to simply pick it all up, stuff it in her pocket without question, and sort through it later. The thought reminded her of what had happened back at the restaurant, and she turned to her new husband, "Kenshin?"

"Hmm?" he said.

Kaoru took a deep breath, "What were you so worried about back at the restaurant?"

"Worried?" Something glimmered in his eyes. "The only thing I am worried about is how long it is going to take us to return home again."

"Return home?" Kaoru repeated, puzzled, "But why? I..." Suddenly, Kenshin's clever fingers were back, sliding underneath the hem of her dress to glide upwards along the curve of her thigh. Kaoru sucked in her breath as her eyes closed and a shiver of delight raced white-hot up her spine. When she opened her eyes again, she saw that Kenshin's violet irises were swirling into amber and his smile had turned distinctly predatory. The Lexus was picking up the pace, and Kenshin managed to expertly weave through heavy traffic while trailing his fingers across Kaoru's leg in a way that made her squirm with pleasure. The Soul Bond pressed upon her, and Kaoru timidly opened herself to it. Throbbing heat and animal energy poured through it, thrilling and shaking her to the core. She wanted to pull back from its intensity, afraid of what it would unleash between them, but she couldn't quite bring herself to do so.

The Lexus increased in speed and in what seemed like both a minute and a lifetime, the car was sliding into the dark, expansive garage. Kenshin parked expertly, then was out of the car in a flash to help Kaoru out from her seat. His hand was hot against her palm, and her pulse was racing in her throat. A car door slammed, and Kaoru found herself splayed against the side of the Lexus, Kenshin's lips insistent against hers and his hands tangling through the black expanse of her hair. Growling deep in his throat, Kenshin cupped Kaoru's bottom, lifting her up onto the car and wrapping her legs around him so that her ankles crossed behind his back.

Kenshin's tongue stroked hers as she tasted ginger and green tea again. Trembling, Kaoru pulled his hair free from its binding cord, letting the red strands fall loose and spill around them like a silken net. Kenshin leaned back slightly, gazing hungrily at her with eyes that bore not the slightest tint of violet. "It seems I have been negligent," he purred, then began trailing a line of slow kisses down Kaoru's neck.

Kaoru gasped and moaned as his lips investigated the sensitive area where her neck and shoulder met. "What?" she panted out, willing him not to stop, begging him silently to not stop, _ever_.

"Oh yes," he breathed, ghosting hot breath against her skin as she she shivered. "Apparently, you recall nothing of our first night together." His teeth found her earlobe and he gently bit it, tugging softly. Kaoru's arms tightened involuntarily around him as her nails dug into his back. Releasing her ear, Kenshin continued, "My performance was apparently substandard for it to have gone so unremembered." He make a tutting noise of disapproval. "Most careless of me," His lips moved leisurely in a slow line across her chest, dropping burning kisses across her collarbone. "Well, I shall endeavor to make certain that this night is _infinitely_ more memorable."

Lifting Kaoru in his arms, one arm under her knees and the other supporting her back, Kenshin strode purposefully into the dark house

* * *

Hiko lifted his head up briefly to the mirror to see an image of Kenshin carrying Kaoru down the darkened hallway. _About time they got home_, he grunted to himself and smirked to remember a similar scene that had taken place in this very same house three months ago. Although this time, the furious blushes on Kaoru's face and the hungry gleam in Kenshin's eye stated very clearly that they required no magical meddling and could manage things quite nicely on their own. Hiko blanked out the mirror with a wave of his hand and reached for the sake bottle. He needed a drink.


	8. Threats Detected

**Author's notes: thanks everyone for the extra pairs of eyes pointing out errors. No matter how many times I proofread these chapters, a couple mistakes always slip past my notice. I need a salamander to go through this thing and burn away any problem spots! Cause if I had my choice, fire would be my element! **

"Everything sounds fine in there," Megumi said, her stethoscope resting on Kaoru's four month pregnant belly. The little bulge had grown into a decided bump, and most of Kaoru's regular clothes were not fitting right anymore. However, she and Kenshin normally wore gi and hakama during their training, and Kaoru had continued to wearing her kendo uniform nearly every day even though she wasn't in sword training anymore: since her hakama tied on, it could be adjusted around her growing stomach. Her swelling belly was starting to make her hakama look rather silly on her, but Kaoru had so many new and startling changes in her life that vanity was quite low on her list of priorities.

A zephyr perched on Kaoru's shoulder, watching closely as Megumi's undine skipped over her, examining Kaoru with interest. The Water Element was in the shape of a graceful nymph with flowing silver hair, and Kaoru privately thought that it was the most beautiful of the four Elements. The elegant doctor at her side was a good match for it; Megumi's hair was coal black and her lips were full and red. Right now, those lips were twisted into an irritated pout as she withdrew the stethoscope and snorted, "I'd _prefer_ taking you into the clinic for a full battery of prenatal tests, but that husband of yours is a little overprotective and your Master keeps you both on a short leash. However, luckily, you're a magic wielder and a Neutral Element so my undine can give you a fairly good scan. If there is something wrong, my undine should be able to pinpoint it."

The undine tripped lightly down Kaoru's side and flew over to her mistress. Looking thoughtful, Megumi let the element twirl around her fingers, then nodded her head. "Good. You're in good health and the baby is developing nicely." She smiled and said, "Apparently there is a strong magic wielder growing in there. My undine is rather surprised by it."

The zephyr bounced a few times, then made two laps around Kaoru before coming to rest on her other shoulder. Catching a glimpse of Misao's gnome making faces at it, the zephyr hissed, beak snapping in protest. The gnome turned around, dropped its tiny trousers, and mooned the zephyr. Kaoru laughed, "Misao, can't you control that thing?"

"What?" Misao said innocently. The three women were seated around Megumi's small, crowded office in her and Sano's home, and they had been courteously but firmly directed towards the office so that the men could have some sort of pow-wow in the living room. The rumble of male voices leaked into the room from underneath the door, but Kaoru could not make out what they were discussing.

Megumi seemed to be thinking along the same lines. "I wonder what they're talking about?" she said with a frown. Kaoru reached out with the Soul Bond and was not entirely surprised to find that Kenshin was, once again, blocking her out. Irritation flashed in her as Misao bounced to her feet.

"Hmm, sounds like it's time for a little reconnaissance," she said with a wicked gleam and disappeared.

Megumi smirked, "Trust Weasel Girl to find something out. She's been training as a spy since she was little." Her face fell slightly, "Then again, so has Aoshi so Misao will have to eavesdrop without letting Aoshi know she's doing so, which will be a challenge. I suppose I'll have to nag it out of Sano tonight."

"I _should_ be able to tell _something _of what's going on, but Kenshin's blocking out the Soul Bond," Kaoru said in frustration. "He's been doing that lately and I wish he wouldn't." Irritably, she rose out of her chair, noticing that it wasn't quite as easy to do now. Her body was undergoing a number of startling changes, and her muscle tone and reflexes were not what they once were. "It's like there some bad news that he wants to hide from me so I won't worry about it, but the fact that he _is_ hiding it makes me worry even more." The zephyr danced in front of her, sensing her agitation and trying to make her smile.

"Lucky you _can_ Soul Bond with Kenshin," Megumi grumbled. "I wish I could with Sano, but the big dope is the most block-headed Ward I have ever seen before. When we first met, he did nothing but pester me for a date and seemed to think 'Get the hell away from me' meant 'Take me, you big stud.' I finally tried to drown him but he didn't even get damp. My undine actually _liked_ him even though he's a Ward," her eyes shot to her undine who was doing laps in a tank full of suddenly nervous fish.

"Traitor," Megumi grumbled, then her expression softened, "Not that I would trade Sano for anything, despite how much he can irritate me at times. It's just that a Soul Bond would make things so much easier. You're lucky," she said, a tang of jealousy in her voice. "Misao too. Her Soul Bond with Aoshi will never be as strong as the one Kenshin and you will develop, but at least she has that. You both do."

Megumi was interrupted by Misao coming back into the room, her face a study of disappointment. "Foiled!" she grumbled, flinging herself down on a chair. "They've Sealed the entire room, nothing's getting in or out. I can hear them talking, but the Seal muffles all their words. There's something big going on but they're being real quiet about. Aoshi's been blocking me out lately."

"So's Kenshin," Kaoru responded.

"Stupid boys," Misao pouted. "They just _have _to do that '_Don't-worry-your-little-head-about-this-I'm-the-big-tough-manly-man-who-will-take-care-of-everything_' routine, don't they?"

"Well, I suppose that's why we are with them, isn't it, ladies?" Megumi responded. "It's aggravating but if the alternative is some spineless momma boy that can't make his mind up, I'll take the big, tough, manly blockhead. More tea, anyone?"

* * *

"My spy network has uncovered Shishio's headquarters," Aoshi reported, "And as far as we can tell, he is amassing his _Juppongatana_ at Mount Hiei. However, Shishio's spy network is equally competent which has made intel gathering...challenging," he finished smoothly.

"Dear me, is the leader of the Oniwaban admitting difficulty?" said the newcomer, a tall man with a few strands of black hair falling across his eyes and a foul-smelling cigarette permanently wedged between his fingers. Saito Hajime inhaled deeply and returned Aoshi's icy stare with one of cool indifference.

The four men sat around the living room doing their level-best to outglare each other without making seem too obviously so. However, the salamander, undine, and gnome perched on their respective Masters' shoulder were glaring freely and making threatening gestures.

"The question is," Saito continued, "Whether the Battousai intends to challenge Shishio." He took another drag of the cigarette. "As nice as this little chat has been, my main purpose in coming here was to ask that and find out an answer."

Kenshin sat quietly on the edge of his chair, heavy bangs not quite covering the golden glow of his eyes. He said nothing. Saito continued, "You have returned to your master, after all, to complete your training. And, to my understanding, your master has made a rather _interesting_ addition to your curriculum. A Soul Bond with an Air user. And a child on the way. I congratulate you, Battousai. You work fast."

"My wife will _not_ be involved in this," Kenshin said with a quietness that spoke volumes. "She is a new apprentice and with child. Do _not_ think of involving her in your schemes, Saito."

"Schemes? May I point out that it is you Shishio wants." He lit another cigarette, "It's your party, Battousai."

"We'll, he's getting the rest of us too," Sano said, mouth crooking in an anticipatory smile. "There's no way I'm letting you guys keep a good fight like that to yourself, you know."

"Oh, excellent, we have a rooster-headed Ward with nothing but his fists helping us fight against a group of men who are both Elemental Masters and Weapons Masters. Why, they'll probably simply lay down their arms and give up when they see him coming," Saito responded sarcastically.

"Hey! Look, I can walk through a herd of salamanders or undines without getting affected by them. You need me!" Sano replied indignantly.

"No, what I need is for the Battousai to give up this foolish vow never to kill again and return to the manslayer he was," Saito responded coolly, taking another deep drag of the cigarette. "The question is if he will do this."

Kenshin still said nothing. After several long minutes, he spoke quietly. "I made a vow."

Saito snorted, "And you expect to face Shishio and survive?" His voice increased in volume, edged with scorn. "With these ridiculous notions of right and wrong, you won't be able to defeat Shishio! Will you leave him to seize control of the world? He's killed scores of Masters, Elemental and Weapon alike, and he won't stop until he has defeated all powers magical and nonmagical that stand in his way. Will you just stand by and watch it happen?"

The salamander on Kenshin's shoulder was growing exponentially and hissing with energy although Kenshin didn't move. The scorn in Saito's voice sharpened, "Only Battousai the Manslayer can defeat Shishio. Kenshin Himura will die if he faces him. Is that what you want?" Cruelty edged his words, "You would leave your wife and child behind because you were afraid to return to the man you once were before? You will let your child grow up in a world dominated by Shishio Makoto because you..."

Air sizzled with energy. An army of salamanders apparated, lashing their tails in anger as Kenshin snapped into position, hand poised on his katana. Gnomes hovered around Saito as he unsheathed his blade and dropped into the First Stance of his Gatotsu. All semblance of unity fled the room as the two men eyed each other narrowly, waiting for the other one to attack.

"Enough of this," Aoshi said coldly. "The real enemy is not in this room. Stand down." Kenshin and Saito did not move, and their elements grew more agitated. "_Stand down_," Aoshi repeated. "At least do so for the sake of your woman in the next room, Battousai. Do you wish her to witness this? Saito, lower your weapon."

Both men did so with extreme reluctance but the army of elements stayed put, each silently menacing each other. Aoshio's cold voice continued, "You have a decision to make, Battousai. Either you return to the manslayer you were or you face Shishio as you are now. But make no question of it," Ice rimmed each syllable. "When this has passed, the Battousai and I will meet again. And I will take from him the title of 'The Strongest of the Strong' as a prize."

With those words, the Water Master strode forward and made a slicing motion. The air shimmed as something silvery tore away and the Seal was broken.

Sheathing his sword, Saito looked at Kenshin contemptuously. "Make your decision and make it quickly, Battousai. There is little time to waste."

* * *

Kaoru twisted in her seat uncomfortably. As of late, she had been developing leg cramps if she sat too long, and the day had brought a lot of sitting with it. Kenshin, normally attentive in a way that could be annoying at times, kept his eyes fastened ahead as he directed the Lexus forward. He was putting up so much resistance to the Soul Bond that she could not even attach onto his _chi_. However, it would not take a magic user to see that he was deeply troubled about whatever had happened in the living room. Turning her head, Kaoru saw that a gleam of amber was in his eyes and his shoulders were rigid with tension.

_Why are you shutting me out? What is it you don't want me to know about?_ she thought irritably. Aloud, she said, "What's wrong, Kenshin?"

He leaned over to take her hand in his, "Nothing you need to concern yourself with, Kaoru."

Angrily, she yanked her hand back, "Stop trying to be so damned protective, Kenshin! I'm a magic and sword wielder too, and I think I have a right to know what's going on."

"Kaoru, four months ago, you had no inkling of the magic inside you," Kenshin said evenly. "There are...forces at work, but that is the concern of Elemental Masters, not their apprentices. This is not your burden to bear."

"_I'm your wife_, Kenshin. Wives and husbands are supposed to share each other's burdens, and I can't do that if you keep shutting me out and keeping me in the dark and..."

"And because you are my wife, I have a duty to protect you and our child," Kenshin responded, a warning note dangling in the air. "There is much about the magic world you are unaware of and until you are ready, I will not expose you to it." His tone softened, and he reached for her hand again, "Kaoru, think of the child."

Kaoru pulled her hand away again and scooted to the opposite side of her seat, as far away from Kenshin as possible. He sighed and put both hands on the wheel, and the car moved forward in an icy silence. Hugging her arms to herself, Kaoru glared under her lashes at her husband. The golden rim around his purple irises told her that Scary Kenshin was not too far away and much as she would have welcomed a good, long screaming match with him, she didn't want to stress the baby out. For the past few weeks, Kaoru had been slowly growing aware of flashes of knowledge about the child growing inside her, little shimmers of _chi_ that gave her insight into the baby's state of health and well-being. She knew somehow that while he liked it when she took warm baths and when a salamander or zephyr were twirling around her belly, the baby didn't like it when she drank caffeine or exposed him to loud shouts. One time she had been in the dojo when Hiko was bellowing at Kenshin about something, and Kaoru instantly felt a ripple of _chi_ shivering up inside her that told her the baby was upset about the noise. Curling her hands around her belly, Kaoru reluctantly abandoned the fight and instead decided to give Kenshin the silent treatment.

He too said nothing more, merely directed the car forward through the late evening traffic. Looking out the window into the black night, Kaoru was suddenly struck with the thought of, _Who is this man?_ The past four months had been a whirlwind of new changes, staggering in their immensity. She had gone from blazing hatred of the man besides her to married to him with his child in an extremely short span of time, and Kaoru realized with a shock that she had never really fully worked through _why _this had all happened. There simply hadn't been a lot of time for self-introspection in her new life, and Kaoru had learned to just roll with the punches as they came her way and keep moving forward.

Resting her head on the cool glass, Kaoru gave herself up to this thought. What _had_ changed her feelings for Kenshin from disgust and hatred to respect, concern, and eventually love? Certainly his endless courtesy, respect, and care for her had been instrumental. The countless hours they had spent shoulder-to-shoulder carrying out chores, practicing magic, and chasing each other around with swords had helped too. But as Kaoru pondered all these things, the Soul Bond between them stood out. She had felt it practically from the beginning, intertwining herself to Kenshin despite her initial hatred of him. It had united them together in a way that neither could escape or ignore, and it had steadily ate away at her resistance to him. It had created intimacy between them, but for the first time, Kaoru wondered if it was a false intimacy.

Sneaking a look at Kenshin, Kaoru was suddenly flooded with just how little she actually knew about her husband. She had no clue if he had siblings or living parents, what his favorite food was, where (or if) he went to high school, if he had ever kissed anyone before her. She didn't even know why he bore a cross-shaped scar on his cheek, had never brought herself to ask him. Shivering, she drew her knees up, clasping them to herself. _You're lucky_, Megumi's words, tinged with envy, floated up in her mind. _It's just that a Soul Bond would make things so much easier. _Did it actually? Kaoru wondered what her life would have been like if she and Kenshin had been college students that met in biology class or if Hiko would have brought her into his house without forcing the Soul Bond between her and Kenshin. What would have happened if their relationship would have just developed gradually? Would it have developed at all?

_Coulda, shoulda, woulda_, Kaoru scolded herself silently, but the questions hung heavily in her mind and she brought them with her to bed to worry over. Kenshin apparently had thoughts of his own to chew over because after a few hours of lying by her side, he quietly slipped out of their bed and silently moved across the room to the door. A few seconds later, she heard the soft tread of his feet in the hallway. Even if Kenshin had not been blocking her out, she would not have needed the Soul Bond to know that he was going to the dojo to work off some tension.

Suddenly, the bed seemed much colder and emptier. Tucking the covers around her, Kaoru tried to fall asleep, but she had grown accustomed to Kenshin sleeping next to her with a rather astonishing swiftness. Even though she was still furious at him and part of her was glad he was gone so that she could sulk and glower freely, another part of her missed him. But he did not come back, and eventually Kaoru slipped into troubled dreams.


	9. Elements At Bay

**Author's note: Whoohaha, cliffhanger! How long shall I leave you dangling, oh faithful readers? The writing muse demands sacrifices of chocolate before it will deem to visit me again! **

"Wake up, girl," Hiko's voice summoned her. Kaoru struggled awake and blinked her eyes in confusion. There was no light peeking around the edges of the bedroom window's drapes, and her internal clock told her that it was far too early to be up. Although Hiko had been somewhat relaxed about Kaoru's daily wake-up time ever since he had learned about her pregnancy, she was still accustomed to being up before full sunlight. Kaoru grudgingly kicked her feet out from under the covers, noticing that Kenshin was not beside her. As she stumbled into the sitting room, the large bay window showed a dark expanse of space with a few late stars twinkling fitfully and and only the barest hint of rose showing on the edge of the horizon.

"There you are," Hiko grunted, "Now pay attention." Kaoru tried valiantly to stifle back a yawn as her tired body reminded her quite loudly of how little sleep it had gotten the previous night. "Your idiot husband has the final stages of his Fire Magic training ahead of him, and he and I will be putting in some very long days. Do not expect to see much of either one of us until this is over. However, it is vitally important that you do _not_ go _anywhere_ near the west wing of the house. What we will be dealing with is highly advanced, and it would be extremely harmful for you and the child should you expose yourself to it. Do you understand?"

Kaoru nodded tiredly, "Yes, I understand."

"Good," Hiko rumbled, "You will work on mastering Levels Four through Six, and I expect you to have these perfected when I am done with that foolish apprentice of mine. If there is an emergency and you absolutely _must_ contact us, send a zephyr to alert us. Otherwise, keep yourself occupied and away from the west wing. I will send a salamander to fetch food as we need it and, much as I hoped I would never have to say this, you will be in charge of the kitchen in the meantime." He frowned darkly at her, "Try not to poison us if you can possibly help it."

Kaoru bristled and she opened her mouth to snap back, but Hiko beat her to the punch. "That is all," he finished and the mirror swirled, leaving behind only Kaoru's angry expression reflected in it.

"Fine!" she burst out, too late, and stomped back to her bedroom to dress for the day. Still fuming as she tied on her hakama, Kaoru yawned an enormous yawn that made her jaw crack. "I really, really need some coffee," she muttered to herself, then jumped as an alarmed flutter of _chi_ curled up in her belly. "No, no, sorry, little one," she said soothingly, patting her belly. "I won't, I won't. It's all right, everything is okay. Sorry I yelled; Mommy's not mad at you, everything's fine." Smiling, Kaoru thought about how she had never really seen herself as the maternal type and had never quite understood how pregnant women could be so sappy about their big bellies. _Well, guess I now know why_, she thought ruefully and gave the bump another fond pat. "Instead of coffee, how about a long nap later on today?" she questioned. The belly seemed to agree with that suggestion, and Kaoru walked towards the kitchen for a coffee-free breakfast and to confront what promised to be formidable adversary: the kitchen stove.

* * *

By the third day, Kaoru was utterly, thoroughly, magnificently bored and missing her husband quite strongly. The only indication that two other inhabitants were in the house had been the salamanders that zoomed in and out of the kitchen at intervals to fetch food. However, they could not resist a quick trot across Kaoru's stomach every time they passed her; every zephyr or salamander that apparated near her seemed to find her pregnant belly fascinating. She was grateful for the company but they clearly had a mission for the salamanders would only twirl around on her stomach a few seconds before taking up whatever food she had ready and disappearing with it. Her zephyr was a comfort, but it was not much for conversation.

At least there was occasionally more than one of them. Kaoru, to her great astonishment, had managed to summon a total of four zephyrs on the second day. But her amazement had turned quickly to panic as she realized that maintaining mental control of four elemental apparitions was like trying to simultaneously pat her head, rub her stomach, do back flips, and sing the national anthem. While the four zephyrs spun about her, their energies clanged around inside her head as she frantically tried to bring them all under control. After a few seconds, they had all disappeared, leaving Kaoru with the beginnings of what would prove to be a bad headache and a resolve to not try that again until she had mastered several more Levels.

Mastering Levels Four through Six had not been too terribly difficult and for lack of anything better to do, Kaoru had practiced them over and over again until she was thoroughly sick of doing so. After months of being run ragged from dawn to dusk, Kaoru was surprised to find out how quickly she became bored. There had simply been so many new things to learn, new skills to tackle, and lifestyle changes to adjust to that her body and mind were firmly set in a forward-moving mode. Suddenly having little to do seemed strangely wrong and unsettling.

Kaoru tried to fill the days by running over every Level and magical skill she had mastered in the past four months, cautiously summoning two elements at a time and trying to not become overwhelmed with them, and sneakily running through some sword kata with a bokken she had found in Kenshin's closet. Hiko had taken her katana away but she saw no harm in some light sword work, nothing too taxing, and a shimmer of _chi_ in her belly told her that the baby liked it. When she grew bored with magic and swords, she napped, read from the baby book that Kenshin had gotten her, and rattled pots and pans together irritably in the kitchen. Ever since Hiko had taken her off the sword, Kenshin had reluctantly let her into the kitchen and had been patiently giving her some cooking lessons. While he had been far less successful at these lessons than he had been with magic or sword fighting, Kaoru had picked up a few things and her cooking had risen from inedible to merely untasty.

"Practice, practice, it's just like learning a new kata or Level, it just takes practice, Kamiya," she reminded herself mid-afternoon on the third day as she yanked open a cupboard, determined to master this challenge. However, a search through the cabinets and the fancy fridge revealed that there was little in the kitchen to eat. Kenshin was the one who did all the shopping, but he was currently involved in who knows what in the west wing and Kaoru knew that Hiko would bawl her out if she interrupted them over something as trifling as an empty fridge.

Frowning, she muttered, "I'd order pizza if I just knew where the stupid phone was, I _know_ I've heard it ring before..." Suddenly she stopped and a devious smile crept across her face. One thing she _did_ know was where the keys to the Lexus was. The garage was on the opposite side of the west wing, it was a few hours before dinner, so she wasn't likely to be missed by a questing salamander after food.

Hurrying back to her room, Kaoru dug her wallet out and was pleased to find that it contained nearly forty dollars and her still-valid driver's license. She thought briefly about changing, but nothing in her closet really fit anymore and she'd worn her kendo uniform in public numerous times before. Sliding her _geta_ on her _tabi_-clothed feet, Kaoru left her room and headed towards the garage.

"Free!" she squealed a few minutes later as the Lexus pulled away from the house and Kaoru kept a sharp eye out for any spying salamanders. Chortling to herself, she thought wickedly about how Hiko had merely restricted her from the west wing; he had said nothing about leaving the property. Strictly speaking, Kaoru was being perfectly obedient. He had ordered her to keep herself occupied, and running out for groceries was currently occupying her. Kenshin, she suspected, would probably have a conniption fit if he knew, but Kaoru had often chafed against the short leash her husband and master had kept her tied up with. Besides, the worst thing that would happen is that she would get into a minor fender-bender on her way back and have to explain things to her master. "What's he going to do, beat a pregnant woman?" she giggled to herself and cranked the radio up. It felt so _good_ to be out of the house, away from Hiko's demands and Kenshin's careful ministrations and at the wheel of a fast luxury car. Kaoru's ancient Dodge had finally bitten the dust towards the end of her freshman year, and she had decided that another car was not absolutely necessary. This car was sleek and powerful, and she thoroughly enjoyed driving it the short distance to the nearby store.

Inside the store, Kaoru happily skipped inside. After four months of what was essentially captivity, driving herself to the grocery store and wandering around inside alone seemed like an exotic luxury vacation. She earned a few stares from fellow shoppers because of her clothing, but she was too thrilled about her escape to care. Pushing a cart though the store, Kaoru tossed needed items into it, keeping a mental tally in her head. She had no idea if her credit card still worked and didn't want to risk writing a check, so it would be cash.

As Kaoru stood in front of the cooler, trying to decide if she had enough left over for some ice cream, a reflection caught her attention. Turning her head, Kaoru saw a gnome staring at her darkly. _Misao_! she thought happily and moved to face it but her _chi_ shifted warningly as her instincts woke up and began clamoring for attention. _Enemy! Run! _her mind screamed and almost without thinking, Kaoru summoned a zephyr but this time she reached out with her mind to desperately throw directions at it. _Not here, go to Kenshin! I need help! _she thought frantically as an army of gnomes apparated, waving their fists at her and Kaoru became painfully aware of a small, slight figure advancing upon her with an odd smile on his face.

Trying to keep mental control of the zephyr currently racing towards Kenshin, Kaoru summoned another element but it was quickly overwhelmed by the gnomes, leaving Kaoru alone to face her advancing enemy. _He looks like a child_, she thought to herself as her hands automatically went for her katana but there was nothing at her side. The odd smile loomed in her eyes as suddenly everything went blank.

* * *

"Again," Hiko rumbled as Kenshin painfully staggered to his feet, gasping for breath. His gi bore several burn marks and the tips of his long hair were smoking lightly. The room was filled with scorch marks and smelled strongly of smoke.

"Yes, Master," Kenshin gasped, but their training was interrupted by a highly agitated zephyr racing into the room. The zephyr flew around Kenshin in several laps before shooting upwards towards the ceiling, bouncing off it, and then rocketing down to earth, only to start tap-dancing frantically on the top of Kenshin's head.

Hiko frowned, "I've never seen her element be this aggravated before." He reached out a hand and the zephyr anxiously climbed into it. "Something's wrong."

_Kaoru_! Kenshin frantically reached for the Soul Bond and was astonished to find it missing. Near panic, he reached out again and his anxious _chi_ roamed, meeting nothing. She wasn't blocking him out, there was simply nothing there. Kenshin could not get a lock on her _chi_ and one look at the frantic zephyr confirmed the truth. _Kaoru's in danger!_

"KEENNSHIN!" Hiko gave a great bellow as his apprentice snatched up his sword and apparated in a fiery blaze of flames, the zephyr disappearing with him.


	10. Captive's Captivity

**Author's note: I developed a major case of writer's block, so I hied myself off to Shinkendo (Japanese sword fighting) and traded blows with my sensei. I also succeeded in breaking a bokken which thrilled me to no end and helped smash through the writer's block. Note to fellow writers: beating someone over the head with a stick is an excellent way to encourage the writing muse to visit. Next chapter's theme is "Have Fun Storming the Castle". **

"Good work, Sojiro," said the strange man wrapped in a multitude of bandages that made him look startlingly like a mummy. Taking a slow drag from the slim pipe in his hands, he eyed the furious Kaoru at his feet who was shaking her head and trying to regain her senses.

"As a fairly new apprentice, I don't suppose you've been taught any Stunning spells yet, Kaoru Himura," said the mummy. Kaoru glared at him, "Oh yes, we know quite a bit about you. The Battousai has kept you fairly secluded, but my spies are well-trained and my network of information is strong." He took another puff.

"Who are you? Where am I?" Kaoru demanded trying to take in her surroundings without letting her eyes leave the speaker. The mummy wasn't the only other person in the elegant room. Draped over him was a woman whose gravity-defying neckline was giving every indication that it was close to abandoning attempts to stay up and fleeing to her ankles. A pale man wearing a jacket with a hideous green collar stood next to the mummy. The small, strangely-smiling boy who was apparently responsible for Kaoru's new captivity stood a little apart from the group. In the corner was a tall, thin man with one eye squinting shut and a shock of blond hair that stood up exactly like a troll doll.

_Seriously, what's up with this picture? Does gravity just not work in this room or something? _Kaoru thought for both the woman's dress and the blond man's hair flew gaily in the face of Newton's law. However, the swords present in the room quickly demanded far more attention than exposed decolletage and sticking-up hair. Both the mummy and the boy were armed with a single sword apiece, but the troll doll had two strapped to his back, one at his waist, and one in his hand. An undine perched on the woman's shoulder while a gnome hovered in front of the smiling boy and another next to the troll doll.

_Okay, officially I think I am in really deep shit right now_, Kaoru thought frantically and found herself profoundly wishing that she had simply gotten into a bad car accident and wrecked Hiko's Lexus on the way back from the store. Getting bawled out by Hiko was sounding very, very good right now. It sure beat having to face the mummy-wrapped guy sitting on the couch. In fact, Kaoru could think of many, many things that were infinitely preferable to doing so.

"I see, you don't know who I am," the man said and there was an amused tone in his voice. "The Battousai obviously didn't think highly enough of you to tell you, even though you're his Soul Bond. Interesting," He took another deep puff on the pipe, "Then again, I probably should thank him for doing so. If he had, you would have known not to leave your master's house without an escort and capturing you would have been more challenging. But you made it so easy. You didn't even take a weapon with you," he sneered.

"If by 'Battousai' you mean Kenshin, then no, he didn't tell me about you, whoever you are," Kaoru snapped back. "And my master took away my sword so..." Suddenly Kaoru's eyes flew open and her hands automatically went to her belly. _The baby!_ she thought frantically. In the tension of the moment, she had completely forgotten she was pregnant.

The mummy's mouth twitched into what seemed like a smile, but it was hard to tell. The bandages exposed little of his mouth but from what Kaoru could see, his lips were practically non-existent and the skin around them was badly burned. "Oh yes, we know about that," he said cruelly as the woman at his side gave a derisive snicker. "Battousai the manslayer, a husband and an expectant father. I can't think of a more ideal situation than this."

"What do you mean?" Kaoru demanded. Rising to her feet, she felt her body automatically fall into a fighting stance. "And who are you? Tell me your name!"

"Shishio Makoto," the man replied and took a leisurely drag at his pipe. "In the war of the elements, the Battousai and I crossed paths before. In our battle of swords and fire, he overcame me and his salamanders burned my body with fire. He thought he had killed me, but he was wrong. I was severely wounded, but I didn't die."

Shishio's eyes met Kaoru's and he seemed to realize the question she was forming in her head, "Oh, no, this isn't about revenge. Far from it, in fact. The fact of the matter is that I really have the Battousai to thank. In the burning of my body, I learned the ultimate truth: trial by fire is the only way for a Fire Master to gain supreme power. No other Fire Master had done this but I, Shishio Makoto. I endured the the flames of hell but lived. In the searing of my body through the flames, my salamanders became part of me, lending their strength to me. Instead of being separate entities, they are part of my body. The flames I endured from the Battousai allowed me to unite my sword skill and my elemental magic into one; they are no longer two separate powers but one unified whole. With this unified power, I will carve a reign of chaos through this world until all Masters, Elemental and Weapons fall under my sword and I alone rule."

Sucking more smoke into his lungs, Shishio continued, "However, I have not faced the Battousai since he left me for dead. With my new, unified strength, I wished to challenge him and prove for once and for all that I, Shishio Makoto, am the ultimate power. With his death, I alone will stand supreme."

"Yet, the Battousai disappointed me," Shishio rumbled, "The man in question had abandoned the manslayer and had become weak, clinging to a ridiculous vow to never kill again and consumed with an absurd notion of defending the helpless. Such a man disgusts me."

"But then, you entered the picture," Shishio said, pointing the pipe at Kaoru. "I had no interest in Kenshin Himura, so the question was how to convince him to abandon this farce and return to the man he once was. Oh, I knew that he would face me eventually, he's too foolishly concerned with the sufferings of others to let my reign of chaos go unchallenged. I also knew that he would still be resolved to stay true to his vow not to kill even though he did not have a prayer of defeating me if he did. My plan was that he would finally see the truth and realize that to save the world from destruction and chaos, he would have to abandon his vow and become the manslayer again."

He continued, "I was betting on this. I knew that the mask of Kenshin Himura was only that, a mask, and the Battousai was there under the surface, just waiting to be let loose again. But my plan had a weakness. You see, I knew that Kenshin Himura would never willingly become a manslayer again. He would only do so out of great reluctance and only after exhausting all other options. Because of that, even if he did return to being the Battousai, there would be a part of him still holding back. The return to the manslayer wouldn't be completely wholehearted, and I was prepared to accept this."

"But then," the smile that was not a smile returned, "My spy network learned of you. This was the best news I had heard in a long time. Finally I had ultimate leverage over the Battousai. I knew that to save his wife and unborn child, he would gladly, even eagerly return to the manslayer he once was. In fact, I have no doubt that the Battousai who will soon face me will be even greater than the Battousai I once knew." He blew a casual smoke ring, "After all, what wouldn't a man do to save his wife and child? I wanted the man that passed through the Forest of Barriers to rescue his wife so many years ago. That is the manslayer I want to fight."

Noticing Kaoru's confused expression, Shishio said, "Oh, the Battousai didn't tell that he was married before? Rather careless of him, don't you think?"

Suddenly Kaoru couldn't breathe anymore as a huge wave of shock smashed into her. Nausea rolled in her stomach as her knees trembled, barely keeping her upright. Dimly, she hear Shishio continue, "Odd that he never mentioned it. I suppose you never asked him about that cross-shaped scar on his face, then. She did one of them, slicing his face as he killed her. The other one was left by her former fiance as the Battousai killed him." Blowing a leisurely trail of smoke into the air, Shishio pulled the woman closer to himself and exchanged a dually evil smile with her.

_No, no, no, no, no!_ Kaoru thought as her knees finally gave way and she fell to the ground. Coldness shivered up and down her spine as the world spun around her. Through her confusion and grief, she felt alarmed _chi_ tremble in her belly but she could only clutch her stomach weakly. _No, no, it can't be! _she thought weakly._ Kenshin wouldn't, he couldn't, he...would he? _The image of their first meal together floated up in her mind.

"_I killed. Many magic wielders." A redhead with eyes that spoke of deep sorrow and agony. _

Another memory...

"_So off he went, raised a big stink, caused a tremendous amount of death and chaos, and then finally comes to his senses and comes crawling back here." A master's voice filled with frustration and regret._

And still another...

_'Who is this man?' a young woman thought to herself as she sat as far away from the other side of the car as she could, wondering how she could know so little about the man that had fathered her child and taken her as his wife. _

Thought after thought, emotion after emotion rolled through Kaoru, tossing her into a sea of chaos, fear, and agony. All the fight died in her; her arms barely had the strength to keep her upper body propped up in a seated position. Her lips trembled with shock, and tears threatened to spill down her cheeks.

Shishio leaned backwards, completely at ease, looking down his bandaged nose at the stunned young woman on the floor. Seeming to read her thoughts, he sneered, "Yes, that is the man you married: a killer. One who slaughtered his wife with his own two hands. And he'll be coming for you, Battousai the manslayer as he truly is. I look forward to facing him in battle." Jerking his head to the tall man, Shishio said, "Chou, put her somewhere out of the way. I don't think we'll have much problem with her, but keep her locked up until I need her again."

Strong hands pulled Kaoru to a standing position, "Come on, missy, nothing personal now, but Lord Shishio gave orders," the man said, his voice twanging with a southern accent. Firmly maneuvering her out into the hallway, he said, "Oh, come on now, don't let that pretty face fall. Girl like you will find someone else, once Lord Shishio takes care of the Battousai, don't you worry. That is, if he lets you live." Finding a room, he propelled her into it, "You sit real tight now and make yourself comfortable." He pulled the door shut and turned the key.

Kaoru woodenly gazed around her and found that she was in a small sitting room with no windows. Overwhelmed with emotion, she slid to the floor, back against the wall, blinking as a blazing vortex of emotion sucked her into its hellish depths.


	11. Kenshin Versus Battousai

**Author's note: Kaoru kicks some serious butt as Kenshin and company come to her rescue! Keep those reviews coming; they are like crack and I am quickly becoming an addict! I might also add a supplemental chapter to fit in between the pregnancy revelation and the wedding since some people have said that they would like to see more of Kenshin and Kaoru's relationship develop. Can I get any votes on the supplemental chapter? **

Four men stood under the _torii_ gate. Two were tall and armed with swords and a third was equally tall but carrying no weapons aside from the fists shoved casually in his pockets. But the short, slender redhead in their midst was unmistakably the most threatening of the quartet. From the blazing amber of his eyes to the furious _chi_ emanating off him like water from a broken dam, it was painfully clear that when this was over, there were going to be gigantic piles of very-dead bodies lying around and he'd still be cruising around for more to make. A mixed cavalcade of elements were zooming around the men, and the situation had drawn them into reluctant unity. Rather than hissing and snapping at each other, their ire was reserved for whatever was awaiting them beyond the gate.

"Well, Battousai, it's most unfortunate your wife was involved," Saito blew out a long trail of smoke and looked coolly at the quietly, violently angry redhead at his side, as still as a volcano seconds before exploding. "But I must say that it is fortunate your determination to secure her safe return seems to have overridden your vow never to revert to a manslayer again."

Kenshin said nothing. Reality had blurred into one bleakly sliced truth: _my woman and my child are in danger_. His eyes narrowed to slits as unwittingly his memories returned to a dark day many years ago; desperately, he tried to push the memories away as a ghost's breath of perfume, smelling of white plums, rose to his resisting nostrils and his mind was dragged kicking and screaming back in time.

_Blood. Blood everywhere, splashing in his eyes, blinding him, leaving crimson patterns on the white snow as delicate as embroidery on a kimono. _

_The sagging weight of a dying body dragging down his exhausted arms, full lips twitching in efforts to gasp out final words. _

_The roaring hiss of salamanders as elemental energies sizzled and raged in the cold air. _

_Tomoe. My wife. I did not reach you in time. I did not save you.__ I killed you._

Shaking his head firmly, Kenshin tried hard to chase away the memories that screamed inside his head, the images, the smells. The chaotic tumble of the past was suddenly broken by Sano's massive hand, heavy and reassuringly solid, which came to rest on his shoulder. "You okay, Kenshin?" he rumbled, eyes slanted in concern.

_Sano_. A solid wall of courage, brotherly support and encouragement in a world descended into madness again. The other two men at his side had watched Kenshin Himura disappear under the raging fire of Battousai the manslayer and had approved. Sano, however, Ward, rather thick-headed brawler with a confidence bordering on cockiness at times, had observed the transformation with quiet dismay and had staunchly rejected the title of "Battousai" Aoshi and Saito used to address him. Repeating "Kenshin" a little more than necessary, Sano had stubbornly attached himself to Kenshin's side, an anchor to reality.

_Ally_, Kenshin thought to himself. Saito and Aoshi were by his side too, but he had no illusions: they would fight besides him because they wanted something from him. In contrast, the stubborn Ward had willingly blundered into a situation he had no connection to and was adamant about continuing forward. Looking up at the structure in front of him, Kenshin could see that it was steeped in elemental magic that he knew only Sano would be able to sail through unaffected.

_Whoever brought her here will __die__, _golden eyes promised as a callused hand clenched around the katana at his side and fury filled him. His vision narrowed, centered, and Battousai the manslayer poised to storm into the building and claim what was his. But suddenly a bear-like paw smashed across the side of his head, sending him staggering as a confused "Oro?" escaped his mouth.

"What are you wasting time for, Kenshin?" Sano's roughly good-natured voice rumbled. "Let's get in there, defeat Shishio, get Kaoru, and go home." Stuffing his hands in his pockets, the Ward strolled unconcerned under the _torii _gate, head set at a cocky angle, shoulders relaxed as if he didn't have a care in the world. Pausing, he shot a look at the redhead behind him, "You coming or what? I promise I'll save a bad guy for you if you ask nicely. Hey wolfman," he said, jerking his chin at Saito, "Get your rear in gear. Aoshi, you too. We got some serious ass to kick."

Unexpectedly, a surprised jolt of laughter burst out of Kenshin as he heard Saito's derisive sniff and saw the gleam of anger in Aoshi's eyes. But the small burst of mirth was just enough to help Kenshin reach down into the seething mass of his emotions and seize ahold of something he could cling to. Although the manslayer had largely taken over, a part of Kenshin was still fighting for survival, struggling against giving in completely.

_Fight_, he told himself grimly. _Think of Kaoru and the baby, think of the father you want to become for your son. Think of Master. Think..._

_DEATH, KILL, DESTROY, THEY TOOK MY WOMAN, THEY WILL DIE! _

_Fight harder. _

Warring within himself, Kenshin met Sano's grin with unsmiling eyes and stepped forward as Aoshi and Saito fell in pace behind him.

* * *

"Lord Shishio, the Battousai has arrived," Hoji announced, "along with three other men: Aoshi Shinomori, Saito Hajime, and another man that I'm not sure..."

"Sanoske Sagara," Shishio finished for him, leisurely exhaling a cloud of smoke. "By all accounts, a low-grade thug with no weapons skills. However," he conceded a tad grudgingly, "He is a Ward, so precautions should be made."

Leaning back, Shishio waved his pipe. "My _Juppongatana_ is in position. All we have to do is wait for the Battousai to reach me. That is," he smiled evilly, "If he does." Motioning to the troll doll, he commanded, "Chou, go tell our 'guest' that her husband has arrived, the real man she married, not the Kenshin Himura he claims to be and invite her back to this chamber. The proceedings may be of interest to her."

"Sure thing, boss," Chou replied and set out for the room where he had stored Kaoru. Nearing the door, he heard the muffled sobs of a woman and he started speaking to her as he unlocked the door, "Now now, missy, no tears now. Lord Shishio won't like it." Opening the door, he put one foot into the room and promptly collapsed in an unconscious pile on the floor, his numerous swords making a most satisfying rattling noise as he hit the ground

Setting aside the bokken that was responsible for the troll doll's current state of inertia, Kaoru quickly dragged him into the room and shut the door before anyone could take notice. "You know, if you're going to lock a kendo master in a room, make sure it is one that doesn't contain a cabinet full of training equipment with an easy-to-pick lock," she admonished as she swiftly unstrapped a katana from Chou's back, untied the cord on the sheath, and used it to hogtie the man. He struggled a bit and a undine made a watery, semicorporal appearance but Kaoru's zephyr immediately pounced on it and it disappeared. Tearing a strip from Chou's clothing, Kaoru quickly fashioned a gag and then pulled free all his swords from their sheaths. She deposited them on the other side of the room, well away from him less he manage to wiggle within reach of one.

Casting a critical look over her handiwork, Kaoru pushed him with a foot and stated coldly, "I don't know what is going on and what is true anymore. All I know is that my husband is coming for me and I going to get the hell out of here and join him and you're not getting in my way." Mentally she added, _And when I do find him, we are going to have a long, long talk. He has some serious explaining to do. _Deciding that Chou wasn't going anywhere anytime soon, she took up the bokken again and cautiously crept towards the door. She thought briefly about taking a katana, but the ones Chou was carrying were too long and heavy for her slight frame and she felt more confident with a bokken.

_This is the hard part_, Kaoru thought grimly and, reaching inside herself, summoned two more elements to join the first one. Immediately her head was filled with their bouncing energy as if three highly-caffeinated parakeets had suddenly dropped into her brain. The zephyrs burst into existence and began twirling around excitedly. Clapping her hands over her ears, she said, "Stop, stop, please, please, listen, I need help! Please, you guys have to cooperate with me or I'm not getting out of here alive. I don't have the control I need to keep you all in line, so can you please, please listen to me and help me?" Her distress seemed to make an impression for the three zephyrs obediently sailed over to hover in front of her face and the bouncing energies in her head seemed to calm down somewhat.

"Thank you," she removed her hands from her ears. Her head still buzzed unpleasantly but she was able to stand it. It took supreme effort to separate her thoughts from the bursts of energies in her brain, and she hoped desperately that the zephyrs' obedience would not slacken. "Okay, this is what I need you to do," Kaoru said, rapping out orders. She knew that Kenshin and Hiko directed their elements almost exclusively through mind control, but her mental hold on the three was extremely precarious and she had no intention of stressing it any. She just hoped that verbal commands would be sufficient.

Opening the door a crack, Kaoru let the three zephyrs loose. One raced ahead, intent on fulfilling its orders to find a way out of the building. The other two flew into the hallway, quickly scouting it for enemies. A whispery, high-pitched hum in her head said _Clear! Safe!_ and Kaoru pulled back the door and ran into the hallway. Another whisper floated past her _Master, this way! _and Kaoru followed it. The buzz of energy inside her head made it extremely difficult to think clearly, and Kaoru was fighting to keep all three elements corporal and cooperative, but they had clearly sensed her distress and were so far being helpful and obedient. Her feet made slapping sounds on the floor as she raced ahead, following the breathy voices in her head as her elemental scouts winged forward, searching for enemies and an escape route. _I'm coming, Kenshin!_ she thought, adrenaline coursing in her veins.

* * *

Battousai was gaining the upperhand and Kenshin was struggling and gasping in his grip as he watched Sano stagger backwards, blood pouring from a cut under his eye as the gigantic monk punched him again. Sano had easily sailed through a knot of menacing gnomes who simply passed around his body like smoke, startling the monk greatly, but the massive fists that met the tall fighter were not so easy to dodge. The redhead's hand clenched on his katana's handle as he watched his friend land a hard punch, only to receive one right back that knocked him off his feet.

_One more punch and the monk dies,_ Battousai snarled, lips pulling back in a hideous grin. _No one else I care about will die here. I will call a legion of salamanders to burn this place to the ground and slaughter everyone who stands in my way before I let that happen_.

_No! Fight this! Remain true to your vow! Don't do this!_ Kenshin Himura demanded weakly. _Think of Kaoru! Think..._

_Kenshin!_

The redhead shook his head in confusion, then shock and relief filled him as a very familiar _chi_ energy poured into him, as sweet and welcome as rain on parched ground. Eagerly, desperately, he reached out for it and felt it curl inside him. _Kaoru_! Her _chi_ was pulsing and full and he tasted courage, determination, and the heat of battle on it.

_Kaoru! She's alive! She's fighting and on her feet and alive! _

_Kenshin! I'm coming! _

Longing swept him as he eagerly embraced the bright energy of his wife's _chi_, feeling it rush over him like sunshine. But as he drank it in, he was suddenly aware of a different strain running through it, something innocent and effervescent and fragile. Latching onto the pattern, he marveled _What is this? Could it be...?_ He stopped, stunned into realization.

_Heartbeat, heartbeat, heartbeat. Small and frail but very much alive. _

_My child. My son. My little one. _

With a cry of pain, Kenshin strangled back the Battousai. _No, you will not win! You will not destroy what I have worked so hard for! I will not let myself become you again! _Snarling, Battousai retreated, driven back into darkness.

Panting slightly with emotion, Kenshin turned his attention back to the battle to see that the monk was down for the count, defeated, and Sano was wavering on his feet, badly beaten but alive. Looking up at the others, he flashed a crooked smile. "Guys, better go on without me. I'll catch up but right now I think I need a little nap."

_He's alive! He won!_ Kenshin triumphed. Turning to Aoshi and Saito, he said, "Let's go," and pivoted to leave the room. "My wife and child are waiting."


	12. Battles of Weapons and Elements

**Author's note: Wow! Chapter 12! There should be two more chapters after this to finish the story and I will endeavor to get them done as soon as possible, but I start a new job tomorrow and that will seriously cut into my writing time. However, I promise I will finish this story soon, so stay tuned!**

Racing through the corridor, Kaoru's heart beat a pattern against her chest wall as the heat of battle hummed and sang in her blood. Her head ached with the effort of keeping her three zephyrs corporal, but they were so far doing an excellent job of scouting for her: one racing ahead to look for an escape route and the other two front and back to keep an eye out for enemies. Panting, Kaoru thought fleetingly of what two months of Hiko's edict against her sword training had done to her endurance, aware that she shouldn't be breathing hard quite this quickly.

Remembering why she had been out of training, Kaoru placed a hand on her stomach, feeling the roundness through her hakama. _Sorry about this little one, _she thought. _Don't worry, Mommy has everything under control and Daddy is coming to rescue us. Everything is alright. Just be calm and don't worry. _Clenching the bokken with her other hand, Kaoru narrowed her eyes. _It's not just my life but my baby's as well, I __have__ to fight with all my strength,_ she told herself firmly. She could feel the baby's _chi,_ but it was hard to pinpoint what exactly she was sensing. If anything, there was a strange awareness and purposefulness about it, and Kaoru was struck with an odd feeling that the baby was tapping into her own _chi_, feeding energy into it. She felt stronger, more alive, more courageous, and mother instinct rose up in her, the roar of a lioness determined to protect her cub at all cost.

As Kaoru charged forward, feeling her way through the ripple of _chi_ growing stronger in her belly, she gasped in shock and delight as another wave of _chi_, powerful and hot and intimately familiar, captured her senses. "Kenshin!" she exclaimed, pausing for a second to gladly snatch the energy into her being, feeling it fill her. A zephyr stopped, puzzled, and Kaoru laughed in joy, "He's here! Kenshin's here! We have to go to him!" Latching onto the Soul Bond, Kaoru pinpointed Kenshin's location. He was moving fast, but she had a lock on him and eagerly launched herself forward, calling her zephyrs to her side.

So great was Kaoru's happiness that she forgot momentarily that she was in enemy territory and needed to be on guard for she soon blundered around a corner almost into the arms of two guards. "Hey!" they snarled in surprise, hands going for their katanas. Instinct snapped in place and Kaoru launched herself forward, feeling well-honed reflexes and long hours of training take over. _Whump! Whump! _The two guards hit the ground, knocked senseless, and Kaoru was already charging forward without pausing for breath. Remembering her zephyrs, she snapped out commands, sending two of them ahead and one of them behind to scout out for more guards.

Through the Soul Bond, Kaoru could feel Kenshin become aware of her too and suddenly waver, torn between a determination to keep pressing forward and an overwhelming desire to abandon his path and go to her._ I'm okay! Keep going!_ she desperately tried to telegraph at him. _I'll catch up to you, don't stop! You've got to defeat Shishio or none of us are getting out of here alive! _Kaoru felt the waver continue and was also suddenly aware that there was a strange taint to Kenshin's _chi_, something dark and malevolent clinging to it. Recalling his words of four months ago, the calm, sorrowful confession of who he had been long ago, she pushed back, _Fight it! You're not that person anymore! The baby and I need you to stay true to your vow. Keep fighting! I'm almost there!_

A warning hum in her brain alerted her that there were more guards up ahead, and Kaoru quickly ducked down a side hall. Kenshin was far away and moving quickly, but she could easily track his steps. _Don't stop_, she chided herself. _Keep going! _

_

* * *

_Kenshin, Aoshi, and Saito paused on the threshold of the door, taking in the enormous, high-ceiling room with battle-narrowed eyes. A snap of black cloth fluttered and a strange, bat-like figure appeared in front of them. "I am Henya Kariwa," it said in a reedy, creaking voice. "The only flighted member of the _Juppongatana_. Who wishes to pit himself against me and my bombs?"

Aoshi stepped forward, drawing his sword. "An inferior Fire Master with no weapons aside from bombs against a Water Master who is Okashira of the Oniwaban," he said coldly. "Bombs are useless when wet. You are going to die."

Henya unfurled his wings and flew upwards, landing on a jutting buttress. Levelly, Aoshi said to the other two men, "I need no assistance here. Battousai, Shishio is further ahead. You should find him so that you may rescue your wife. Saito, there will be other challengers ahead. The Battousai cannot be expected to handle them all himself."

"I don't intend for him to have _all_ the fun," Saito sneered, lighting a fresh cigarette. Turning to Kenshin, he said, "Shall we?"

Nodding, Kenshin left the room, moving forward quickly.

* * *

Another room, another challenger, this time one so steeped in evil that the room itself seemed several degrees colder than the passageway outside. Inside was a seated warrior, clothed in a robe decorated with embroidered eyes along the hem. A bandage, also similarly decorated, covered his eyes. "Hmm," he said in a voice which rang of ice in every syllable. "Two of you? Which one wants to die first?"

"Don't flatter yourself," Kenshin responded, reaching for his katana but he was stopped by Saito's upraised hand blocking his path.

"I'll handle this one, Battousai," the wolf of Mibu stated and stepped forward to intercept the warrior, but their attention was momentarily diverted as Sano came galloping up to Kenshin's side.

"Whew! You guys are a little tough to catch up with, but I made it! Hope you haven't divvied up all the bad guys by now." Sano was bruised and bleeding but on his feet, grinning.

"Oh goodie, the calvary's here," Saito rumbled sarcastically, "Why don't you two run ahead? I'll be along shortly."

"Brave words to say in front of Uonuma Usui," the man pronounced smoothly.

"No, not brave, simply truthful," Saito said, unsheathing his blade and dropping into the First Stance of his Gatotsu as a wicked smile crept up on his face.

* * *

Running on adrenaline and hope, Kaoru charged forward, the Soul Bond tracking Kenshin's movements. She knew that the gap between them was starting to lessen and she was closer to intercepting him. He had decided to press forward, resisting the urge to abandon the quest and rush to her side, and she was glad for it. The tickle of _chi_ in her belly kept feeding her own, giving her new strength and courage. _Troll doll down, two guards down, and a clear road ahead, _she thought. _I've just got to keep going until I catch up with Kenshin!_

The zephyr scouts kept racing ahead, and their thoughts bounced around inside her mind, giving her warnings as she cut through rooms, avoided hallways, and hid at times to avoid oncoming guards. However, the seemingly endless hallways were overall rather sparsely populated, and Kaoru was not encountering much resistance as she raced towards Kenshin. Just as she was beginning to feel a trickle of relief, suddenly all three zephyrs began clamoring in alarm. Kaoru winced as the bouncing energies in her head increased in speed and volume and three whispering tongues began shrieking in alarm _Danger! Turn! Enemy! Master, wait! _It was extremely difficult to break down exactly where the threat was coming from but through the chaotic tumble of voices in her head, Kaoru discerned that there was one major threat up ahead and that guards were slowly closing around her from the other hallways. _Trapped!_ she thought frantically.

* * *

A third room, this one making Kenshin stop suddenly and gaze at it narrowly. "Kenshin?" Sano panted, "What's wrong?"

"I cannot feel any emotion coming from this room," Kenshin replied slowly. "There is someone in there, but I cannot sense his emotions." Sano grunted and charged at the door, obliterating it with his _Futae no Kiwami. _The shattered door crumbled to dust, revealing the small, smiling boy who had kidnapped Kaoru.

"Welcome, Mr. Himura and Mr. Sagara," he said, bowing slightly. "I am Sojiro Seta, Mr. Shishio's right-hand man. I will be challenging you today, Mr. Himura, if you would be so kind."

* * *

Through the clamor of alarmed zephyrs, Kaoru knew that one attacker was ahead and several guards were behind, all passageways filled. Making her choice, she continued forward, wondering grimly what was awaiting her.

She was soon to find out as she paused on the threshold of a room, staring in shock as another woman met her glance. "There you are!" she said gaily in a high-pitched voice. "I, Kamatari Honjo, have been waiting for you. Took you long enough." Pursing full lips, Kaoru's opponent pouted, "It would have been _so_ much more fun to fight one of those delicious men trying to rescue you, but, well, I suppose I'll just have to settle for the fun of watching you die beneath my scythe." Whipping it up into the air, she twirled an enormous scythe that had a heavy ball and chain attached to it. The entire weapon gained momentum, spinning around the woman in a seemingly impenetrable shield of wood and metal.

_Crap!_ Kaoru thought frantically, hands clenched on her bokken. _How do I get through that to her? _A zephyr's voice in her ear twittered, _Man, not woman!_ startling Kaoru greatly. _Okay, how do I get around the crazy cross-dresser? _she rephrased that and realized that she was going to have to figure it out extremely quickly because the woman/man was advancing on her rapidly.

However, the zephyrs had decided independently that their best course of action was simply to launch themselves at the attacker, hissing. They flew forward as Kamatari summoned four of his own zephyrs. Element clashed against element, twirling and snapping in circles, and Kaoru felt her zephyrs' anger and alarm reverberate in her head as Kamatari advanced on her, sending Kaoru leaping and dashing out of the way. _I can move faster than him, that big weapon keeps him from moving forward all that fast_, she thought quickly, _but I can't just simply keep dodging him. He may tire out soon and slip his guard, but I can't rely on that! How do I get through his defenses? _

As Kaoru ducked and dodged the advancing volley of razor-sharp blade and heavy ball and chain, something tight and hot churned in her belly and to her complete astonishment, a tiny ball of flame erupted into thin air. It was wavering and effervescent but very much real. Kaoru's zephyrs immediately abandoned their opponents and flew to the flame. Instantly, it expanded, turning into a hot ball of colorful fire that roared upwards and sailed towards Kamatari. The heavy chain passed through it and two of Kamatari's zephyrs raced hissingly towards the new threat, intent on protecting their Master, but nothing could stop the advancing ball of flame. Kamatari gave a high-pitched shriek as it hit him directly in the eyes, burning flesh and blinding him. His scythe chain wavered violently, its rhythm severely disrupted, and the shock of the suddenly off-balance weight sent the man staggering backwards.

Seeing her chance, Kaoru charged forward, bokken at the ready. Her wooden sword made solid contact with Kamatari's exposed knee, and Kaoru felt the bone shattered under her blow. Kamatari screamed again, dropping the heavy weapon as Kaoru rolled out of the way and popped up to her feet. However, it was clearly over; Kamatari was writhing on the floor screaming and tearing at his eyes as one leg lay limp and useless.

"Let's go!" she screamed to the ball of fire but it was flickering and diminishing; within a moment or two, it had disappeared, leaving only three zephyrs behind. They flew to Kaoru, and she sent one out in the hallway. It quickly telegraphed back that one hall was clear. Gasping in a lungful of air, Kaoru raced into the hallway. Reaching for the Soul Bond, she pinpointed Kenshin's location and urged her tired legs towards it.

* * *

The strange boy was defeated; Kenshin had left him wounded and down, but still alive. Using his advanced training, Kenshin had managed to destroy Sojiro's elemental powers, leaving behind one who was now only a Sword Master. Sojiro was unconscious but Kenshin knew that soon he would be on his feet and frantically trying to summon his element to no avail._ No more will you do evil with magic_, Kenshin thought grimly. His salamanders, crazed with the heat of battle, shimmered around him, hissing and snapping with energy.

Within moments of Kenshin's victory, Aoshi and Saito came running into the room, and the four men stopped briefly for a rest. All of them were injured, Aoshi only lightly so with some burn and blast marks on his skin and clothing. Saito was bleeding from several cuts, and Sano was heavily bruised with one eye swollen almost completely shut. However, the small redhead in their midst had been the most heavily marked by his opponent, and looking at him, Sano rumbled, "Hang on a second, boss, we have to treat your injuries."

Kenshin started to protest, but a quick feel into the Soul Bond told him that Kaoru was alive and currently unthreatened. Tiredness suddenly filled him and he nodded at Sano. "Alright, but one thing first." Swiveling his head, Kenshin turned to the stone-faced Okashira. "Aoshi, I am asking a favor of you. Would you find my wife and bring her to me? I believe that all our enemies are defeated except for Shishio and that I will take on myself. You have defeated your enemy, so will you find Kaoru and escort her to me?"

The stone-faced Oniwaban leader nodded. "For the sake of my woman's friendship with yours, I will do this. You have my word."

"Thank you, Aoshi," Kenshin responded and a salamander shimmered into being. "This will guide you to where she is and the both of you back to me." The salamander was clearly unhappy about being ordered to cooperate with a Water Master but it obeyed, sailing ahead with Aoshi following it quickly.

Sano gave a final tug of the bandages. "Okay, that should hold you for now, Kenshin." Thumping the redhead on the shoulder, he said, "Geez, anyone but you would be in a coma now. Alright, guys, let's go kick Shishio's ass into the next era!"


	13. Desperate Fight

**Author's note: new job is coming along well, so here is a chapter for my patient readers. Expect two more chapters to conclude this little adventure. I also plan on updating Chapters 4 and 6 to work in some more development of Kenshin and Kaoru's relationship, so be on the lookout for revisions. Thanks to everyone for their reviews and suggestions – it is so helpful having other people look at the story and give their input.**

A smear of blood caught Kaoru's eye as she panted her way down the hallway. Looking down, she saw a line of red on her arm: Kamatari apparently had nicked her during the battle. Remembering the massive weapon her attacker had wielded, Kaoru was grimly aware that she had been extremely lucky to escape with just a scratch and a few bruises. Her lungs suddenly constricted and she coughed loudly, feeling her breath ragged and harsh in her throat. Her legs burned with fatigue, and Kaoru knew that she was running on adrenaline. However, Kenshin was waiting and she would keep charging ahead until she dropped from exhaustion.

The zephyr ahead of her suddenly gave a ripple of energy that exploded into Kaoru's brain and rounding the corner, she saw that a salamander was streaking towards her like a bullet. _Kenshin!_ Kaoru thought with joy but it wasn't her husband who was following the salamander but Aoshi. Kaoru's heart sank in disappointment as the tall, hooded-eyed man intercepted her, but her spirits quickly revived: Aoshi would lead her to Kenshin and the two kodachi at his side were comforting. Remembering Kamatari, Kaoru guessed that there would be other opponents up ahead, and she was glad for all the allies she could find, particularly if they were armed and dangerous.

Aoshi looked as if he had gone a few rounds with the salamander because there were burn marks on his clothing and the ends of his bangs were scorched. Spotting her, he stopped instantly and called out, "Kaoru, I have been sent to bring you to your husband. Please follow me." He made as if to turn around but his eye fell on her bleeding arm. Frowning, he inquired, "Are you hurt?"

"No," Kaoru gasped out. "Let's keep going!" Aoshi nodded and the two elemental wielders chased after the salamander and zephyr who had raced ahead, closely followed by two undines. Kaoru was uncomfortably aware that Aoshi's long legs could easily outstrip her short, exhausted ones, but he only kept a few paces ahead of her, running with graceful, easy strides. Wiping sweat from her brow, Kaoru glowered at him; it just wasn't _right_ for someone to be that elegant. While Aoshi's clothing was disheveled and burnt in spots and he had clearly gone a round or two with an opponent, the man moved like he and Kaoru were passing through the steps of a dance and he gave no signs of fatigue.

Kaoru, on the other hand, was heaving with exhaustion, hair snaking its way out of her messy ponytail to plaster itself wetly against her damp forehead, and feet tiredly pounding the floor. Her body seemed to move forward on its own initiative, disconnected from her brain. She was worried about stressing the baby too much and far as she could tell, the flicker of _chi_ in her belly was not too terribly happy. _Get to Kenshin,_ she told herself firmly. _Just focus on that._

Suddenly, Aoshi slid to a stop and smoothly unsheathed both kodachi in one fluid movement. As Kaoru gasped up to him, the Okashira rumbled, "Stay back, Kaoru. This one is mine." Looking around him, Kaoru was not entirely surprised to find that the hallway had ended in an open, high-ceiling room, much like the one where she had encountered Kamatari. In the middle of this room was a tall, squint-eyed man with a shock of gravity-defying blond hair that was entirely too familiar to Kaoru. Chou had apparently slipped his bonds and recovered his swords for he stood in the middle of the room grinning, armed, and very much non-incapacitated.

"Hey there, missy, you gave me a right bump to the head," he said to Kaoru. "Not very sportsmanlike, you know. A real swordsman would face his opponent dead-on and not take him by surprise. I was gonna find you to teach you a few manners, but I see you picked up a friend."

Eying Aoshi, Chou grinned, "Say, those are some fine-looking kodachi you got there. I wouldn't mind adding them to my collection, but first I suppose I gotta win them off you." The other eye opened, and suddenly the good-natured expression turned wicked. "You're a strong-looking fella and you look like you know your way around a sword. But I betcha you've never seen something like this before!" Chou made a quick motion, ripping his tunic off with one hand to reveal what looked like body armor of thin metal wrapped around his waist.

Aoshi was unmoved. "A urumi blade. You mean to go against the Okashira of the Oniwaba with an urumi blade and live," he said coldly.

"Not just any urumi, partner, this here is the _Hakujin no Tachi_!" Chou rumbled in a sinister laugh and gave a yank at the metal around his waist. Kaoru was astonished to see that it was not body armor but a long, flexible sword that unwound itself from Chou in a shimmer of sharp-edged lethality. With a flick of his wrist, he bellowed out, "Look here at my _Orochi_! Try dodging that, tough guy!" The sword snaked through the air, bounced off the floor, and arched upward in waves of steel that honed in on Aoshi.

Aoshi dodged, winding and twisting his way across the room in graceful arches. However, the speed of the long blade was too fast for Kaoru to follow with her eyes and when Chou pulled it back for another strike, she saw that it had marked Aoshi; a trickle of blood was seeping through the sleeve on his right arm.

"See that?" Chou smirked. "My _Hakujin no Tachi's _not so easy to dodge, now is it? You and your two fancy kodachi aren't gonna last long against my sword, no siree."

Sneaking a glance at Aoshi, Kaoru tried reading his _chi_. The stone-faced Okashira betrayed not a flicker of emotion and as Kaoru watched, Aoshi's frame seemed to vibrate and split into several copies which moved across the floor like images in a funhouse mirror.

"Pretty fancy there, pardner," Chou sneered, "But dontcha realize that my _Hakujin no Tachi _can cut through all your shadow images at once!" With a battle cry, Chou whipped the blade around again but not a microsecond later, Aoshi materialized behind him, striking him heavily across the back with one of the kodachi.

The swords on Chou's back shattered and fell away as he collapsed to the floor in a crumpled heap. Aoshi straightened up, looking down upon his defeated foe with icy eyes. "The_ Ryūsui no Ugoki _is not to be taken lightly," he intoned ominously "However, you will not live long enough to regret your mistake." He raised a kodachi overhead to strike a death blow on Chou's unresisting neck.

"NO!" Kaoru yelled, racing forward. Two zephyrs apparated in front of Aoshi, hissing in displeasure.

Aoshi paused and turned to look at Kaoru. "What is the meaning of this?" he demanded, coldness edging his voice.

"I mean no, don't kill him," Kaoru said firmly. "He's down and defeated. No more bloodshed."

"Kaoru, you defeated him once and he came back to kill you," Aoshi reminded her stonily. "He is evil and deserves death."

"No, Aoshi," Kaoru insisted. Stepping up to him, she firmly grasped his arm. It felt like iron under her fingers and she was hazily aware of the conflict welling up in him. "My husband took a vow not to kill and I will keep this vow too. I know he's kept this vow even in the middle of all this, and I will not allow it to be violated if I can do anything to stop it."

Aoshi was silent for a moment and something odd flickered in his eyes. After a second or two he said, "Very well," and sheathed the kodachi. "Then let us find your husband to see if he is still holding true to his vow."

Kaoru nodded, "Yes, let's." The salamander danced impatiently in front of her as two zephyrs twirled around her head. At a word from Kaoru, all three elements raced forward as Aoshi and Kaoru followed closely.

* * *

The air reeked of pollutants as tall towers of metal belched out dense clouds of sickly smoke, hissing angrily with pent-up steam. Kenshin, Sano, and Saito paced forward, feet pounding out a rhythm against brick. In front of them was Shishio, standing at ease and with eager eyes watching their approach. A lovely woman and a tall, pale man stood a little off to the side. However, it was Shishio who gained all the attention. He stood entirely at his ease, arms crossed and a blue robe slung casually around his bandaged-wrapped body.

"Welcome, Himura the Battousai," Shisho rumbled. "And welcome Saito Hajime and Sanoske Sagara." His eyes fastened on each on individually as he spoke their names, but his attention was soon wholly on the short redhead advancing towards him.

"I congratulate you, Battousai," Shishio stated. "You overcame Sojiro the _Tenken _and destroyed his Elemental power yet still let him live. Doing so had to have taken a tremendous amount of power and you are bearing the wounds of that battle, yet here you stand before me ready to fight." An evil grin creased the bandages across his face. "I like that. I have looked forward to this fight as much as I have looked forward to bringing the whole world under my fist."

"I have not looked forward to this battle nor any others I have fought," Kenshin responded levelly. His eyes had given up their violet hue and were swirling into amber. Stepping forward, Kenshin snapped into a fighting stance, hand on his katana hilt. "However, I have come to stop you and that I will."

"Come to stop me?" Shishio responded, "And here I thought you had come to rescue your wife and unborn child." The air around Kenshin seemed to freeze as his eyes narrowed. Shishio's smile grew crueler. "She has been waiting for you, just like your last wife did, although I suspect this one has more spirit than the last one." Salamanders suddenly began apparating around Kenshin in a horde, tails lashing and tongues curling in hisses. "Do you intend to kill this one too, like the last one?" Shishio pressed cruelly.

Battousai raged, tearing like a brutal animal at the chains which Kenshin held him back with, snarling for blood and wholly consumed with the desire to see his enemy's severed head at his feet. Kenshin held firm, clinging desperately to the brightness of Kaoru's _chi_ and the effervescence flicker of his son's essence. They were coming closer, and he drew strength from their oncoming presence, their energy the only thing keeping him from giving into the overwhelming desire to let Battousai take over and slaughter Shishio in one deadly slice of his blade. Firmly holding back Battousai, Kenshin swallowed his rage and faced Shishio levelly, "I came to kill no one, but I will defeat you. Draw your blade and summon your salamanders."

"Salamanders?" Shishio scoffed. "I no longer need salamanders and I have you to thank for it, Battousai. Consider this a show of gratitude!" In a heartbeat, both Masters charged forward and blades met in the middle with a resounding clang of steel. Kenshin gritted his teeth; Shishio's power was immense and his skill prodigious. Kenshin's salamander army was swarming around looking for enemy elements and coming up short, and Kenshin could feel their confusion clanging around in his head. _Where are Shishio's elements?_ he thought to himself. _Why is he holding back? _

As if in answer, Shishio's sword and his entire body burst into a dazzling ball of brilliant flames. The heat was scorchingly intense and even Kenshin, a Fire Master long accustomed to flames, went stumbling backwards away from it. The flames raged for a few seconds, then dimmed, leaving the man and sword behind completely untouched. He wasn't even smoking lightly.

Shishio gave a triumphant laugh, "Now you see my power, Himura the Battousai! When we fought many years ago, you did me a great favor. In the burning of my body, you sealed my salamanders inside my body, uniting my Elemental Power with my sword skill. I have become the strongest of all and because I am strongest, you will die here!" A legion of Kenshin's salamanders flew at Shishio, teeth bared in anger. However, they halted abruptly when they approached him and began milling around him in puzzled circles. Shishio ignored them, keeping his eyes fastened on Kenshin.

_My salamanders...are useless?_ Kenshin thought in confusion, then the world exploded into a brilliant blaze of pain as Shishio attacked and everything immediately went dark.

* * *

Kaoru's knees suddenly gave out underneath her as Kenshin's _chi_ flared up in alarm and suddenly went dim. She collapsed on the floor, eyes wide with shock as she saw Kenshin's salamander flicker and disappear. _No! _She thought frantically, _no, no, no, no, no, no, no! _Reaching out frantically with the Soul Bond, Kaoru shoved forward, desperately searching for Kenshin's _chi_. Her questing energies found it, latched on to the intimately familiar pattern, but it was barely a flutter. Desperately she clung to it, pouring herself into the energy pattern for some clue about her husband's condition. He was alive, she knew that, but unconscious, his body having shut down after a crushing attack.

Aoshi was before her, kneeling down, "Kaoru?" he said, worry pricking in his normally emotionless voice. "What's wrong?"

"It's Kenshin!" Kaoru gasped out, "He's badly hurt and unconscious. I've got to get to him _now_!" Suddenly, Aoshi's arms seized Kaoru in an iron hold as reality shimmered and twisted into a vortex, exploding in a brilliant display of light and sound and leaving behind nothing but a gust of wind in the empty hallway.


	14. The Aerial Awakes

**Author's note: One more chapter to go! Please read and review. Reviews are good. Reviews are author heroin. **

Kaoru's knees hit the bricks as she sprawled in an ungainly heap on the ground. Her stomach clenched with nausea and her vision dimmed, blurring before her eyes. Besides her, Aoshi was on his hands and knees, sides heaving as if he had just swam a mile underwater. Shaking her head firmly, Kaoru tried to regain control of her protesting stomach and rise to her feet. Whatever Aoshi had done seemed to have relocated them for they were no longer in the hallway but under the open sky and in the middle of a large brick walkway that lead to a factory-like structure. As Kaoru's eyes gradually refocused, she saw a shock of red hair lying like a pool of blood on the ground, wide-open eyes staring blankly upwards.

_Kenshin_. Panic gave her wings and she pulled herself upright, staggering forward. A hand seized her.

"No Kaoru," Aoshi was on his feet, holding her back.

Angrily Kaoru fought him, striking heedlessly at the man that had saved her life. "Let me go!" she screamed.

"No, Shishio is there and he will harm you if you draw close to him," Aoshi's fingers were clamped around Kaoru's arm in an unbreakable grip.

"I don't care!" Kaoru bellowed, yanking as hard as she could, tears welling up in the corner of her eyes.

"Listen to me," Aoshi insisted. "The Battou..._Kenshin_ is not yet defeated. He needs more time. Time I can give him." Kaoru stopped fighting and watched as Aoshi stepped forward, drawing his kodachi. "Stay here but call your elements to your husband," he ordered and with a flash was streaking across the ground to intercept Shishio.

It took all of Kaoru's strength to stay where she was, looking in helpless frustration at the unmoving body of her husband. With a sickening lurch, she saw that Saito and Sano were also motionless on the ground, bloodstains patterning the bricks around their bodies. _Dead_? she thought frantically, then Aoshi and Shishio charged into her line of vision, drawing her attention. As powerful and skillful as the Oniwaba was, it was clear that Shishio had the upper-hand. Aoshi wasn't even trying to attack – he was merely defending himself from Shishio's onslaught. Flames sizzled off the enemy, and Aoshi's undines tried to make an appearance, but the Water Elements evaporated almost as soon as they materialized, the heat from Shishio burning them away nearly instantly. Bereft of his elements, it was only Aoshi's sword skills that were keeping him alive.

_Elements_! Kaoru shook her head, remembering Aoshi's last words to her. Reaching inside for her power, she did not command but pleaded with every fiber of her being for her elements to appear. Deafening energies poured into her head as a flock of zephyrs, eyes keen for battle, swirled around Kaoru. There were too many for her to count properly and they flew too quickly to track, but she was very much aware that inside the swarm of zephyrs was a tiny flame. The zephyrs enveloped this flame and it burst into brightness and heat, a ball of fire surrounded by racing zephyrs that lifted into the air and soared towards Kenshin.

Aoshi hit the ground with a heart-stopping thump, his kodachi clattering along the bricks and his blood falling like a spring rain. Shishio roared, "Weak! Weak! YOU ARE ALL SO WEAK!" as his opponent collapsed at his feet. So triumphant was Shishio over his victory that he did not see the zephyrs and ball of flame reach Kenshin and hover over him until the woman's cry of warning alerted him.

Energy crackled and the towers suddenly erupted, flames bursting out of their tops as Kenshin bolted upright, bellowing like a battle god. His eyes were opaque gold, not a hint of iris or pupil showed and his hair streaming around him was a victory banner snapping in the wind. Shishio turned to face Kenshin, a smile of evil delight crossing his face. Salamanders materialized in battalions; flying to Kaoru's zephyrs, they flowed together, encircling Kenshin with brilliant streaks of living flames that hid him from view. The air blew hot and fierce; scorching gusts swirled through the battleground but as they reached Kaoru, she felt strength and pounding energy flowing on the wind. It scoured her, wiping away the exhaustion of battle and filling her with fresh courage.

As the wind intensified, the swarm of elements lifted up from Kenshin and began swirling together with a sense of purpose about their movements. Within moments, an enormous human shape appeared, a creature of wind and flame with gigantic unfurled wings and eyes like comets, flashing and brilliant. It half flew, half ran towards Shishio in a swift, deadly onslaught. Shishio stood his ground, poised for attack but Kaoru clearly saw uncertainty written in his eyes before his entire body erupted into a massive ball of flames that charged forward to meet the strange creature advancing towards him.

Flame met flame, and the world exploded in searing heat as if the earth had fallen into the heart of the sun. Kaoru fell to her knees, tucking her arms around her head and gasping for air. _So...hot...I...I can't...bear it..._she thought slowly, her entire body screaming for relief, panicking in alarm. But as swiftly as it came, it was over: the excruciating heat suddenly disappeared and Kaoru could lift her head again. To her complete relief, she saw that Shishio was down, his body in flames. Barely had Kaoru's brain had time to register this than her feet were winging her swiftly to Kenshin's side. He was down on both knees, upper body leaning heavily on his sword and sides heaving with effort but he was alive. Seeing her, he managed to pull himself to his feet, only to collapse in her arms when their bodies crashed into each other. Kaoru's legs gave way and they both fell to the ground, embracing each other so strongly that no one could have separated them.

When they reluctantly pulled apart, Kaoru looked up to see that Saito, Sano, and Aoshi were slowly pulling themselves to their feet. All four men were clearly the worse for the wear but alive and determined to stay that way. Sano was the first to reach them. "Alright Kenshin and Kaoru!" he bellowed, gathering them both up in a hug. "Way to go!"

Kenshin spasmed and coughed; blood splattered against Sano's once-white jacket as the redhead's face twisted and his head slumped forward to rest against Kaoru's shoulder. "Kenshin!" Kaoru screamed. "He's hurt bad! We got to get out of here!" As the four honed in on the badly-injured Fire Master, another voice sounded.

"Wait...wait, it's..._it's not over yet._" To the horror of the five fighters, Shishio was staggering slowly to his feet. He leaned heavily on his katana but he managed to pull himself upright and his voice, while weakened, still had strength left in it. "Despite...the aerial you...created...you...you haven't won yet...Battousai."

Kenshin's head lifted up slowly from Kaoru's shoulder and he faced his resolute opponent. His voice too was weakened but still firm and controlled. "You've lost Shishio Makoto. I took your elemental powers from you. You are simply a Sword Master now. You will never be a Fire Master again. Admit defeat."

"You...you...NO!" With a cry of surprising volume, Shishio raised his sword with one hand and clenched the fist of his other hand. After a moment or two, defiance changed to shock, then fear, then anger. "NO! NO!" He threw his head back in a long, heart-rendering howl of rage and loss.

"Give it a break, Shishio, you're done. You lost," Sano snarled. "Kenshin beat you. That makes you the weak one. How's it feel to be weak?"

"YOU! HOW DARE YOU! I..." Shishio's strength suddenly abandoned him for he dropped back to the floor, head down, sword clattering to the ground.

"Lord Shishio!" the woman cried out and rushed to his side. Reaching him, she fell to the ground besides him, clinging to him with love and grief swirling anxiously in her eyes. He enveloped her in his arms, pulling her close to him.

"Yumi, my love," Shishio crooned to her in ragged tones. "You always wanted to be useful to me, darling. Here's your chance." A sword suddenly jutted out from between her breasts, spilling dark blood in a river down the front of her elegant kimono, staining her white skin crimson.

The five fighters took a collective gasp as Shishio glared at them triumphantly. "Battousai, you may have learned to destroy an Elemental Master's power but that's nothing compared to the ability to take his power for yourself!" He looked down at the dying woman in his arms. Even in the throes of death, she still clutched him to herself and her eyes were fixed in a strangely happy daze. "My Yumi is a strong Water Master. She has been very helpful to me, no more so than right now. Isn't that right, my love?"

"_Yes...yes...so...happy...to...help," _Yumi gasped out as blood dripped from her full lips.

Kissing her on the forehead, Shishio said, "Wait for me, my love. We will be together soon." Yumi's lips quavered in one last smile as her eyes closed and her head sagged. Shishio placed her tenderly on the ground and stood to his feet as an army of undines materialized. However, these were not the graceful, elegant creatures that Kaoru had seen floating around Aoshi and Megumi. These elements were twisted, distorted, with nothing beautiful about them. Like a swarm of locusts, buzzing and hungry, the elements encircled Shishio, lank hair snapping in the wind and pointed fingers tearing at the air.

Kaoru felt Kenshin's energy shift and through the Soul Bond, she was acutely aware at how drained and injured he was. She knew unquestioning that he did not have any strength left to fight but was just as certain that nevertheless he would still rise to meet Shishio again. But as Kaoru clutched Kenshin's exhausted body to herself, Shishio gave a great lurch and worry crossed his face. The undines hissed and began milling around in confused circles while Shishio frantically spread his arms out as if trying to fend off an invisible attacker. As the five watched, Shishio fell to the ground and began vanishing as if he was melting, leaving nothing behind but a charred piece of cloth.

A great scream filled the air: the man Hoji had seemingly gone mad. He raced off into a nearby building and began opening vents and breaking pipes, cackling something about Shishio winning the battle. Flames belched out from the pipes as the first of the explosions made themselves known with unmistakable vigor.

"We must apparate!" Aoshi yelled across the noise of the explosions.

"Sano..." Kenshin coughed, his eyes flashing in alarm. "Sano's a Ward...can't...apparate!"

"Oh for heaven's sake," Saito scoffed, looking much too at ease for a man standing on rumbling pavement that threatened to disintegrate at any minute. "I'll make certain the dumb rooster-head gets out of here alive. Aoshi, apparate out of here with these two. The idiot and I will be along shortly."

Aoshi nodded and seized Kaoru and Kenshin in his arms, locking them in with a firm grip and as the three disappeared, a massive eruption rocked the foundations under their feet.


	15. The Warrior's Child

**Author's note: Bwaaa, last chapter. It's been fun but I have more RK fanfic percolating in my brain that needs writing. Also, I revised Chapters 4 and 7 to add some more K/K relationship plotline, so read and review away. Some of you have commented that the story line seems rushed, so does the revised Chapter 4 and 7 make it better? Thank you all for being such devoted followers!**

"_Baka deshi_, if you want another piece of wallpaper, you can damn well get it yourself. I'm not going to 'hand you' anything," Hiko grunted, glowering up at his apprentice who was perched on the edge of a rickety ladder surrounded by buckets, sponges, rollers, and other implements. Kaoru stood on the threshold of the door, a hand pressed over the dull ache in her lower back and looking in amusement at the sight of Seijuro Hiko, powerful Elemental Master and Sword Master, massive arms crossed over an equally large chest, standing against a background of baby blue wallpaper with rubber duckies, lambs, and teddy bears printed all over it; their cheerful eyes seemed to mock the Elemental Master's stern expression.

Looking up to see Kaoru unsuccessfully holding back a smile, Hiko rumbled, "What are you grinning at, girl? I'm just here to make certain my idiot apprentice made this room sufficiently fireproof. Knowing the amount of fires he caused as a child, I have no intention of my house becoming a smoking inferno." Making a rather theatrical gesture with his cape, Hiko turned and marched towards the door. Kaoru moved slowly out of the way – in her sixth month of pregnancy, quick motion was becoming increasingly more difficult – and Hiko waited for her to clear the exit without making it too obvious he was doing so. Scowling, he barked one final command as he left, "You've still got training tonight, _baka,_ so don't take too long with this wallpapering business. Don't bother trying to whine that you're still injured; you are going to master the final stages of your training or there'll be hell to pay."

Kaoru could hear Hiko's footsteps lumber down the hallway as she turned to watch Kenshin climb down from the ladder. "You know," she said to him, "I think I'm becoming quite fond of the old fart after all."

"I heard that," Hiko's voice stomped back into the room. "Girl, you'll have dinner ready in 30 minutes or I'm putting you back on sword training."

Kaoru chuckled to herself, but her eyes could not tear themselves away from her husband. Kenshin was still moving in a careful sort of way that evidenced he was not fully healed, but she was delighted to see that he was slowly recovering his fluidity and strength. When they and Aoshi had apparated out of Shishio's fortress and landed on Megumi and Sano's doorstep in a bloodstained heap, Kaoru had been in a panic over Kenshin's condition; her eyes and the Soul Bond telling her how dangerously weak and injured he was. Megumi had heroically put aside all her frantic worries over Sano's safety and focused intently on patching Kenshin back together.

In the midst of all the commotion and anxiety, Hiko had shown up and immediately let loose a string of colorful abuse directed at Kenshin that made it transparently clear he was just as worried about his apprentice as Kaoru. He commanded Kaoru to summon her elements and abruptly told her how to direct their healing energies into Kenshin. She tried and it seemed to do some good, especially as Kenshin's salamanders began making an appearance and gorging themselves on wind energy. Misao came galloping into the house a few minutes after Hiko arrived and immediately pounced on Aoshi, babbling in worry over his wounds. After several hours of expert care, Kenshin was pronounced stable but unconscious and not too long after Megumi had wearily put down her medical equipment, two more bloodstained men staggered into the house: Saito and Sano. Early dawn was peeking over the edge of the horizon before everyone was stitched up, bandaged, fed, and stable. Hiko and Megumi both had directed their elements to hover over Kaoru and assess her condition and both had pronounced that the baby was well and strong.

Kenshin had stayed at Megumi and Sano's house for a week, unconscious and waking up only at very rare intervals to drink some soup, and Kaoru had begun to despair that he would never arise again but on the eighth day he was up on his feet; soon after that, Hiko arrived in the Lexus to take them back to his mansion. Healing had been a slow process, for Kenshin had been badly wounded and overtaxed. Two months had come and gone, and Kaoru was only recently starting to get the sense that Kenshin was returning to his old strength.

Kaoru's body, however, was racing away from normal at an alarming rate. In the past few weeks, the baby had apparently hit a growth spurt, and Kaoru's stomach was rapidly expanding outwards. She hadn't seen her feet for awhile and was starting to suspect that in a fairly short amount of time she would be trading the graceful, flowing walk of a martial artist for an ungainly waddle. A few times, Kaoru had gotten a look at herself in the mirror and thought with a panic, _What happened? I look like a bloated manatee!_

However, the devoted love in Kenshin's eyes as he stepped forward to embrace her said that he either didn't notice that his wife was rapidly approaching the same dimensions as a small planet or that he didn't care. For her part, Kaoru saw that Kenshin was lavishly besmeared with wallpaper paste, a garnish of shredded wallpaper was tangled up in his hair, and two box cutters were shoved into his jean pockets, and she still thought he was the sexiest man she had ever seen before. As he pulled her into his arms, he accidentally rubbed wallpaper paste on her shirt and she didn't care.

Tucking Kaoru's head under his chin, Kenshin said, "You know, I think Master is actually somewhat looking forward to the baby arriving."

"You think so?" Kaoru responded.

"Yes," Kenshin grinned. "I've learned through experience that the things he grouses about the loudest are the ones he cares about the most."

"I know," Kaoru said quietly. "I saw that when he showed up after we had returned from fighting Shishio." They fell silent for a few moments, and Kaoru's eyes scanned the room. It was a good spot for the baby, full of light and high windows that opened onto the snow-swept lawn. She could imagine her child growing up strong and healthy in this room, and the baby inside her gave a sudden wiggle as if in agreement.

Smiling, Kenshin pressed his hand over Kaoru's growing belly and to his astonishment, he felt something pushing back. It was firm but flexible and as it moved against his palm, he felt a ripple of _chi_, light and bright, brush against his soul. _My son's hand_, he thought with delight and wonder. Kaoru's head was tucked cozily under Kenshin's chin and she leaned against him, her small body round with his child. Stroking the tiny hand pressing up through Kaoru's abdomen, Kenshin felt great joy welling up in him. _Come soon, my son_, he said to the _chi_ energy, _Your mother and I are waiting for you_.


End file.
